Always remember CREAM
by JetBlack
Summary: When Normal looses JamPony Alec and Max set out on a trip to save their jobs and maybe have a little fun and make a little cash on the side.
1. Kermit ties and Phonecalls

Title: Always Remember C.R.E.A.M.  
  
By JetBlack  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Timeframe: After Hello Goodbye but before Freak Nation. *Alec does know that Max used him to lie to Logan.  
  
Summary: When Normal looses JamPony, Max and Alec embark on a grand road trip to save their jobs and maybe have a little fun and make a little extra cash on the side.  
  
Disclaimer  
  
Ranting follows . . . eh I can't be bothered. That's a first.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Softly running her hands down her sides, Max caressed the slight crease on the red dress until it eased away. She pulled the mid-thigh stocking up a little higher, content. She'd never thought she'd ever wear this a second time but then again she'd never thought she'd be doing Eyes Only missions with an annoying, smart-aleck with the only purpose in life, it seemed, was to piss her off.  
  
She'd added just one item to that little red dress. The one she'd stolen off that working girl in that bathroom when she'd gone after Bruno's boss, what now seemed like a lifetime ago. The frame-less sunglasses were the final touch and Max looked at herself appraisingly.  
  
Retouching her lipstick she ran a hand through her chocolate brown hair and stepped out of Logan's bathroom.  
  
She could hear them in the kitchen chatting rather amicably considering. Well she wasn't going to push her luck. If Logan thought she was with Alec and if he'd let her go, let her 'be happy' then so be it. At least they were still talking, doing this little mission would re fortify the bonds.  
  
Her heels clicked on the hardwood floors and the two looked up from the midst of no doubt some culinary miracle. A satisfied smirk grew on her lips as the two halted just staring, "So, what do you think boys?"  
  
". . . red . . . you," Logan stuttered, Alec not much different, " . . . dress . . . wow . . ."  
  
Max's smile beamed and she rolled her eyes to hide the blush.  
  
*******  
  
Alec's arm wrapped itself securely around her waist and she played the role of the arm ornament well as she snuggled closer into him, "Wow Max . . . you uh done this before."  
  
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow; "We are not doing this again. Try to concentrate on finding this guy."  
  
Her eyes scanned the crowd trying to spot the crook of the week Logan had told them about. Max suppressed the urge to glare and pull disgusted faces at all the leers she received from bald aging men, instead smiling ditzily. Why me? Was her only thought. Why are gamblers, ugly overweight men reaching midlife crisis?  
  
Moving through the crowds Alec led her towards the betting booths and she let him guide her, "Hey Thunder is racing today. Too bad I don't have any money on me," he mused mostly to himself. Max stomped onto his foot, hard, getting his attention. So much for her theory about older balding men.  
  
"What?!" he hissed, "You really need anger management classes Max, jeez," he said dryly trying not to limp. Those heels were pointy. Max only smiled at some passing idiot that winked at her and retorted, "If you would stop checking out skanks or seeing who's racing today then maybe we might actually find this guy."  
  
And as soon as those words left her mouth they simultaneously saw him talking to a group of men.  
  
Tudor Olsen was your average rich guy she mused refusing the urge to scrunch up her nose at the Italian Versace suit and over the top golden watch and cufflinks, "Rich assholes never have style. They think if they buy expensive brands and it's all done," Alec sneered, "But someone should tell the guy that a navy suit and a maroon frilly shirt don't go together. Especially when he wears a tie that Kermit the frog must have died for."  
  
Max shook with suppressed laughter at Alec's words and he chuckled along. Taking the small bug out she hid it within her hand as she readied herself to plant it.  
  
Alec's eyes widened and he turned looking her up and down, "Where were you keeping that?"  
  
Max grinned and shrugged, "You wish. Come on soldier boy let's go plant this on him so I can go home and have a bath."  
  
Wordlessly the two, still with their arms around each other, passed behind the man brushing by and Max planted the bug on the inside of his jacket, "Let's go."  
  
Heading towards the exit neither saw the slumped figure of a drunk Normal nursing a glass of bourbon.  
  
****  
  
Sitting on the couch, an opened can of peaches in syrup in one hand and only wearing his infamous blue towel, Alec studied curiously the chipping green paint of his walls. It was amazing how many different shapes, textures and the like one could find in the chips of encrusted color that had once decorated the room.  
  
It was now no more than another piece to his crusty apartment; Brain hadn't really been one for housekeeping but then again neither was Alec.  
  
With speculative eyes he looked around at the scattered objects that littered his apartment and thought once again of why he was sitting at 3am on his couch eating peaches in syrup and watching the paint crumble.  
  
One word. Max.  
  
She had asked him if he wanted to come. Drop by Logan's for 'debriefing' and then head to Crash but god knew he'd had enough debriefing as a kid and he wasn't eager for a whole new batch and with how things were tight now, it was just awkward.  
  
Why did he always have to be the bad guy? Why did Max always use him and then throw him away like a forgotten toy?  
  
One reason. She was a woman. And not just any woman, a transgenic one.  
  
Alec snickered under his breath and shoved another peach slice into his mouth as he imagined the hurt he'd be in if he ever explained his reasoning to Max and Cindy. It was just asking for an ass kicking and as a tag team . . . he didn't even want to think about that.  
  
A resounding thump broke him out of his thoughts and Alec recognized the familiar sound of someone's back, sliding down his door. Holding his towel in place he left his can on the coffee table and swung open his door.  
  
He watched in surprise as a drunk Normal fell backwards into his apartment; an open empty bottle of vodka in one hand.  
  
He rolled his eyes and lifted his intoxicated boss over one shoulder dumping him onto the couch. With the back of his hand he lightly slapped him awake, "Normal? Oy Normal, wake up . . . come on please don't throw up on my couch, it's bad enough as it is," he whined.  
  
The older man groaned, no doubt from a splitting headache, but did nothing more than turn over falling asleep but not before sticking his thumb in his mouth.  
  
Alec watched in amusement as Normal proceeded to make sucking noises and baby gurgles. A yellow piece of paper was clutched in his other hand along with the bottle and Alec knew all too well what it meant, not that he'd ever had one. Normal had gambled and Normal had lost and from the amount of zeros, he'd lost big time.  
  
His fingers automatically danced over the phone dialing a well-known number; he didn't even have to look at the pad.  
  
*********  
  
The phone was ringing. The phone was ringing right next to her on her bedside table. The phone was not shutting up and it continued to ring, right next to her ignoring her whispered threats. Right next to her on the bedside table beside her bed, the bed that she was sleeping in. The bed she was sleeping in at 3am in the morning. Someone was going to die and it wasn't her.  
  
"BOO! PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE BEFORE I COME IN THERE AND START LAYING SMACKDOWNS!" Max groaned at the shouts coming from Cindy in the next room and she blindly reached for the phone.  
  
If it's Logan and one of his missions I swear I'll kill him.  
  
"Ello?" she croaked into the phone and almost choked at the familiar voice chuckling on the other side.  
  
"Well hello sunshine!"  
  
"Alec what are you doing calling at this ungodly hour?"  
  
"You have to see it for yourself," Max didn't miss the covered up concern and worry beneath the sarcastic tone and grudgingly but quickly she got out of bed.  
  
*******  
  
A knock at the door alerted Alec of her arrival. He'd heard her bike long before and her soft steps moving to his door but she was finally here. He didn't even get up to open the door and as he'd guessed she picked the lock in no time.  
  
She marched in ready to demand what the hell was going on but her ranting died on her lips when she spotted him. He was only in a pair of navy blue jeans and Max forced herself not to stare; his gaze was transfixed on a little yellow piece of paper he held in his hand.  
  
She studied his features hoping for a clue on what he was thinking; so deep in her thoughts that she started when she spoke, "Looks like we'll all be looking for jobs Max," he muttered in a soft voice sending a slight shiver through her.  
  
"What are you talking about?" she said scrunching up her nose. She could smell alcohol, had been able to smell it before even setting foot in his apartment but it wasn't coming form Alec.  
  
Her eyes peered over the couch and widened at the huddled from of Normal sucking his thumb. Her expression was priceless and at any other time he would have laughed but he only smirked and turned the piece of paper handing it to her.  
  
A slight pang hit him as he watched realization dawn on her. The only way Normal would be able to pay that amount of money was by selling Jampony and that meant everyone would be out of a job, "This is not good."  
  
"My thoughts exactly. It's a little over what I have saved up otherwise . . . " he let the phrase linger in the air.  
  
Her face shot up and she caught his confused gaze. A thousand watt smile quickly spread over her lips and she began pacing back and forth muttering things like, "We'd have to do it outside of Seattle . . . it's a little steep . . . we could do it though."  
  
"Max . . . MAX!" Alec yelled finally able to grab her attention. She spun round and looked at him expectantly, "What are you mumbling like an idiot about."  
  
Her nostrils flared and she reddened at his remark and he readied himself for the incoming hit but none came, "I'll let that one slide. How many days does Normal have to pay this Alec?"  
  
"Fifteen, not counting today so he has two weeks. Why?" Max smiled again and began pacing.  
  
"We could raise the money. No one would ever know. We can leave tonight, leave a note telling him to wait and not sell JamPony with some story. I don't know what yet but . . . we can steal a car and go through Portland, San Francisco then LA and finally Vegas then fly back to Seattle. It'd be easy money!"  
  
"Whoa Max slow down a minute, are you saying what I think you're saying?" A quick once over at her expression and he slimmed his eyes, "What have you done with the real Max. First you let me touch you without so much as a complaint during the mission. I'm not complaining but I was expecting wrath of hell afterwards. Second are you telling me we're going on a trip? And not just any trip; one with the sole objective of premeditated crime?"  
  
She grinned and shrugged," I could always ask Cece to come with me if you don't want to."  
  
A devilish smirk tugged his lips and he clapped his hands together, "So, what is our cover story?"  
  
"I knew you'd see it my way."  
  
********  
  
Okay so guys what do you think? I'd really like to know so like writers worldwide I ask of you only one thing, enjoy what I write or don't if it isn't your thing and if you're kind enough to leave me a review stating your thoughts I'll love ya forever. 10 reviews and I update . . . 


	2. Organised Crime

Disclaimer.  
  
Okay I/m sorry for demanding reviews and I wont hold the story hostage . . . often. But I actually wasn't. Every time I have a new story I ask ten chapters or five, depending on length, to see who's interested.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"You do realize that there is no way anyone is gonna believe that," Alec announced from his position sprawled lazily on her couch.  
  
Max's hands clenched as she finished scribbling the note she was leaving for OC, "Oh and I suppose you have a much better idea!" She hissed testily throwing her hands in the air and shaking her head annoyed.  
  
A sly grin spread his lips and he shrugged obviously hiding something. He watched her eyes slit as she looked at him, "I suppose telling them we have gone on a two week romantic holiday to explore our new found passion is out of the question?"  
  
Her jaw clenched and she became rigid making him grin, "I'll take it as a yes. Why don't you simply tell Cindy that you might have a lead on one of your siblings and I'm tagging along to meet the infamous class of '09? She can tell Normal and everyone else a simplified version such as you found your sister who'd you lost track of because of the pulse," it was a good idea and they both knew it.  
  
Glaring at his cocky smirk she scrunched up the piece of paper throwing at him and hastily scribbling down a second note.  
  
Leaving it on the kitchen bench she grabbed her bag, as Alec had already loaded everything in the car he had 'borrowed'. She wasn't sure if she should be worried or excited to see what he'd chosen.  
  
She swung her bag over her shoulder hitting him on the head on purpose and walked out leaving him to run after her to catch up.  
  
He led her to a nearby alley that resided right underneath her bedroom window, and to a shiny, recently polished sports car. Ooh she definitely liked this. She ran a hesitant hand over the red immaculate body, "Where in the hell did you get a 550 Barchetta Ferrari?!"  
  
He smiled at the impressed tone of voice and adjusted his collar, "Well you know, his owner just wasn't treating her right."  
  
"Won't they be able to find us like a black fly on a white wall though?" she asked still not taking her eyes off of the vehicle, "Way ahead of ya. Don't worry about a thing."  
  
He opened the door for her and she climbed in the passenger side grinning as he sat down in the driver's seat, "I'll say one thing Alec. You got great taste in transportation."  
  
He cocked his eyebrows and laughed listening with exaggerated affection to the motor purr to life. She rolled her eyes at his acting and shoved him lightly. This was gonna be great. The biggest trip of organized crime since Ocean's Eleven, or whatever that movie was called.  
  
********  
  
Alec's gaze was cool and collected and yet it was impishly smirking and content. His fingers tapped in perfect rhythm, on the steering wheel, to the song drifting to them form the speakers. His leather jacket was unzipped showing the blue long sleeved top that clung tightly enough to show the contours of his chest and his left hand rested on his Jean covered thigh.  
  
He stole a millisecond glance at his fellow . . . well, whatever she was to him, he wasn't exactly certain on the details of their relationship.  
  
A soft smile tugged at his lips and he chuckled. Max was intently focussed on a small A4 pad, scribbling away like mad. A laptop rested on her legs as she studied blue prints and files. Her tongue poked out as she wrote a thousand words a minute and she bit her full lower lip.  
  
Another quick glance and he let his eyes rove over her. She'd removed her jacket and now only sat in a red v-neck top. The low cut corduroys she wore did all but conceal her curvy figure and he forced his eyes to go back onto the road.  
  
"Max?" his soft tone broke her out of her thoughts but she didn't even look at him as she answered, "Hmmm?"  
  
"Since when do you have a laptop?" she stopped and met his gaze and noticed his knowing look, "Well they could afford it!" she defended herself, "It's not as if I stole it from some beggar, besides a computer is a must for what we're going to do."  
  
"But he wasn't a bad guy," Alec stated innocently, "Your excuses are always to your advantage aren't they?"  
  
She rolled her eyes returning to clicking away on the computer, "Nah duh," she drawled, "That's why they're called excuses Alec."  
  
She grinned at his mock laughter and pouting lip and shook her head lightly, "Okay this is what our possibilities are so far. Before I continue you do realize that we could have just sold this car and we would have had basically all the money?"  
  
Alec shrugged, "That's not half as fun though!"  
  
Chocolate eyes rose, looking into nothing, as she seemed to ponder his words, "Yeah you're right. I guess we both need and adrenaline fix," he rolled his eyes but chuckled along with her, "Okay back to business. I have a heist ready in San Francisco. Seems some rich guy just so happens to have a Rockwell. And it just so happens that I have found a fence in San Francisco that is willing to pay us 80 thousand dollars . . ."  
  
"For a Rockwell?" Alec's disbelieving voice interrupted her, "Yes for a Rockwell now shut up and let me finish."  
  
Alec for once abided and she began again, "In Los Angeles there's two jobs. The first one is relatively easy, an in and out job. To cut a long story short, big bank, manager has a private big safe, lots of cash, one step closer to our goal."  
  
An annoyed sigh escaped her lips when Alec spoke up again, "I know this is more fun but why don't we just knock over a Casino? We'd have more than enough dough to keep JamPony and provide all messengers with ponies and Christmas presents for a decade."  
  
His eyes widened and he looked at her with an impossibly huge smirk and Max knew she most likely wasn't going to enjoy what he'd say next, "You just wanna spend time with me don'tcha? This whole trip is because you feel the need to be alone with me?"  
  
He didn't see the fist till it was too late and Alec recoiled holding his side protectively causing the car to swerve onto the wrong side of the road. Quickly re directing the car onto the right lane Alec yelled, "Hey I'm driving here!"  
  
"Well then I suggest you shut up and focus on the road instead of making such comments!" Max yelled right back with a glare that could pulverize Satan himself.  
  
Glaring right back he concentrated on looking straight ahead and Max once again continued, "Anyway . . . the second's more difficult. It's a nuclear power plant. The chip they use in the robotic arms is worth about ten maybe fifteen grand. But these guys they've got a new one. Top of the line Japanese technology. I've stolen one before but the plant in Seattle is a whole lot more laidback with security."  
  
"Why did you steal the chip to a robotic arm," Alec asked his brow furrowing and his expression one that seemed to ask 'Do I really wanna know?'  
  
"It's none of your business!" she snapped.  
  
A silent voice in his head rang out 'Logan'. He sighed and turned back to the road.  
  
"We'll go over the layout and shifts when we get there. I have some guy willing to pay us 38 grand but he doesn't want to meet. We're giving it to one of his contacts so for all I know I could be giving it to the Mafia," she explained with an amused grin and Alec couldn't stop his lips from copying.  
  
"So far I got nothing else and I'm not telling you Vegas yet," she finished. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and yawned a little. Shutting down the portable and stuffing all her notes in the glove compartment she slouched into the bucket seat. She rubbed her eyes again that were tingling from looking at the screen for so long and stretched her arms, "God, how does Logan sit in front of that screen and not go blind? My corneas are screaming at me!"  
  
Alec turned to her and smiled but she noted that it didn't reach his eyes. She was surprised at the softness in his tone, "You sleep, and I'll wake you when we stop for something to eat. Sound good?"  
  
Max seemed to think about it and she tilted her head at him smiling, "Yeah. Actually it does."  
  
********  
  
It hadn't taken her very long at all to fall asleep he noted. 'Guess even shark DNA has its limits' he mused and glanced another look at her. She's been asleep for two hours and her form had slouched considerably lower.  
  
Cheeks flushed with sleep and her hair framing her features delicately she softly breathed; head turned in his direction. How she managed to look so dangerous and threatening while awake seemed to be inconceivable as he studied her face.  
  
Her lips pouted softly as if in a child's plea for ice cream and her eyebrows furrowed lightly as she dreamt. He chuckled at a whispered mumble and added the fourth word she'd muttered to his list. Alec had never pictured Max as a sleep talker but he suppressed the urge to laugh as he thought over the words she'd grudged. Tweety, boxers, submarine and the latest, tutus.  
  
He shook his head lightly and his eyes caught the illuminated shape of a diner and motel about an hour outside the city limits of Sand Francisco.  
  
Pulling into the gravel car park he stopped the car in a shaded area out of sight to draw the least attention. The sound of crickets broke the silence as the engine rumbled to a stop. Selling it at the end of their trip would be hard but Alec could use the cash.  
  
Turning to Max's sleeping form he gently placed a hand upon her cheek and brushed a finger on her jaw line, "Max? wake up . . . " he whispered, "You want to eat don't you?"  
  
She stirred and gave a decidedly feline stretch and Cheshire grin. To Alec's shock she simply turned away from him and went back to sleep. Ok that was not what I expected.  
  
********  
  
Let me know what you think. 


	3. Sweet and Sour Pork is worth it

Disclaimer  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N Okay I didn't go into detail with the mission all that much cause if I do that for each and every one then it'll get boring. At the moment I'm concentrating on the intereaction between Max and Alec so bare with me.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Cursing blasphemy in general, making sure to whisper as to not wake the girl in his arms, Alec trudged towards the room he'd been given the key for. Max had refused to wake up and anything he did seemed to not help at all so Alec had relented and decided to get a room for the night and then go out to get some takeaways.  
  
There would have been nothing wrong with his plan, nothing difficult about it. That is until he'd decided to carry everything inside, including Max, at the same time so that he wouldn't have to go back and forwards.  
  
Fumbling with the key in his hand he once again mumbled obscenities. They hadn't brought a lot with them. A few changes of clothing and a few necessities, everything else was gear they'd need for the heists.  
  
Max shifted in his arms burrowing into his chest as the door finally opened. He had his own bag on his shoulders and the laptop bag around his neck. The other three duffels hung from his arms and the files and papers Max had been scribbling on were under one arm.  
  
His foot swung out and he closed the door behind him already on his way to the bed on the far side of the room. Gently he placed a purring Max onto the soft crisp sheets and then quickly put everything else down on the small table to the side of the room. A contended and relieved smile grew on his lips and he stretched his arms groaning softly at the stiffness.  
  
He looked back to Max and sighed to himself even as he moved to her bedside. He took off her shoes and socks leaving her in her jeans and shirt. Not daring to touch anything else for fear of personal harm Alec vacated the room with one last lingering look at her and a shake of his head.  
  
*****  
  
Yawning like a bear out of hibernation Max woke up. Curious eyes blinked sleepily and the unfamiliar surroundings startled her before everything rushed back. Normal, Alec, alcohol, money, Las Vegas. Max grinned at that particular combination and commanded her brain to remove itself from the gutter.  
  
The smell of closed rooms and dust mixed in with the undeniable scent of Chinese food snapped her out of her half-asleep state and her stomach protested loudly. Rubbing it she swung her feet till they sat on the ground and she stood ignoring the blood rush. For a split second not being able to see she kicked the table and language, only a pirate would use, escaped her lips. Note to self; do not walk in unfamiliar surrounding when you can't see.  
  
Despite her fogginess she didn't miss the chuckle from the couch and she scowled.  
  
Stumbling she regained her composure and brushed her fingers through her tangled hair and walked confidently to where Alec slouched holding one of those little cartons Chinese restaurants give you and a pair of chopsticks. She'd never understood why Asian meals had to be so difficult. You'd think a highly trained genetically enhanced test tube babe could use chopsticks.  
  
Resisting the urge to dive and claim several of the items for herself, Max walked casually over to him and sat down on his outstretched legs picking a carton randomly and opening it.  
  
"You know, these are mine," he casually pointed out, eating another bite, "When I offered it to you all you did was keep on snoring," he continued calmly but she could see the mocking sparks in his eyes.  
  
"I did NOT snore Alec!" she exclaimed putting more weight on his legs. Alec didn't flinch as he waved his hand in the air, "Oh I agree but I loved the sleep talking. I'm very interested in how all those words you mumbled fit together Max."  
  
She glared at him and continued to eat. Tossing the half eaten container she'd picked back onto the table she reached for a second only to encounter Alec's hand, "Hey give me that it's mine!"  
  
Gripping it tighter Alec refused to let it go and the two continued pulling on either side, "It doesn't have your name on it besides I touched it first!" he yelled back just as intent on the food inside as she was. Sweet and sour pork.  
  
"You did not and it's my favorite. Get your grubby hands off of my meal!" Her feet planted themselves on his chest and she used all of her strength to try and rip it out of his hands. Alec furrowed his eyebrows at their new position; Max was sitting on his knees pushing with her feet on his pectorals while desperately yanking at the box.  
  
He pulled harder but neither budged, "I paid for it! Give it to me!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Alec lifted his legs and Max slid down and she now sat on his waist, one leg either side of his head still clutching at the carton. Shock marred her features as she inspected her change of place and Alec took his chance stealing the carton from her hands and scrambling away causing both of them to fall off the couch. Jumping to his feet he headed straight for the bathroom, the only other room but Max grabbed his ankle.  
  
He stumbled to the ground and she was on top of him in a second reaching towards the very disgruntled carton. Her fingers brushed the end and she gripped it. Horrified and with no way to stop it Alec watched the Sweet and Sour spill free from its container and fall directly towards him.  
  
Holding in her choking laughter she studied his now orange face in complete amusement. His hair was ruffled and she had no doubt hers was too but it was the look on his face that set her off; frozen terror.  
  
She erupted into fits of giggles and she couldn't stop. Swishing a finger down his cheek she wiped some sauce off of him and licked it off still laughing. His shocked eyes soon turned to slits and with malevolent mirth he reversed their places pinning Max down. Realizing what he was about to do Max squealed in terror but Alec didn't stop.  
  
*******  
  
"That was not funny," Max hissed, glaring at him for all she was worth but nothing could wipe the triumphant grin off of his face.  
  
"Oh yes it was Max," he said matter of factually as he parked about 2 blocks from their intended destination.  
  
"And how can you still be sulking about that? These are the first words you've spoken to me since this morning around 5. Not counting your angered explanations of the layout of this building," he asked not fully able to conceal his amusement.  
  
"Next time you get something on your face you do not wipe it on me. Understand?" she snapped angrily, "Now shut up and let's go over this one more time."  
  
"Hey you started it! It was my sweet and sour and you should have kept your greedy little mittens off of. oomph . . . fine let's go over this one more time, "he ground out.  
  
*******  
  
Waiting for darkness had been mind-numbing and Max was glad to be out of that car. Running in a half crouch they circled the building, Alec right behind her and she had no doubt that instead of looking out for guards he was checking out her ass. Typical.  
  
Ignoring the little jolt that boosted her ego beyond mortal belief she rolled her eyes at herself and stopped below the gutter.  
  
It took all Alec had to not crash into her as his concentration had been focussed maybe a bit too much on her ass. Scolding himself he commanded his eyes to pay attention to the surroundings. Seeing Max begin to climb the gutter he suppressed the huge grin that threatened to split his lips as he followed watching the view, "You know Max that cat-suit does wonders for you."  
  
She froze and looked back down at him a shocked stunned mullet look imprinting on her face making Alec look around nervously as he realized he'd said it out loud, "Uh. . . oh. . . ummm."  
  
Shaking her head and with a slightly confused daze she turned back and finished climbing to the roof. Alec slapped himself mentally That was not what I was expecting  
  
She watched him in curiosity as he fastened the rope to his harness and adjusted his gear. His fingers worked calmly and fast but his whole body was tense, "Alec relax. Enjoy the natural endorphins."  
  
He looked up bemused and smiled chuckling at her and lowered himself through the skylight. She followed with nervous excitement and was soon on the ground with him avoiding cameras and darting from wall to wall and sticking to the shadows.  
  
Spying the painting from a wall that disguised both their figures Max pointed to her wrist and mouthed, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1," and pointed just as a guard came into view with a self-satisfied smile.  
  
*******  
  
"Come on Alec," she taunted, "I want to hear the words."  
  
Ignoring her he continued to count through the bills smelling each handful, "It's all there."  
  
He grinned at her pout, "Alec those aren't the words."  
  
Staring at her with a blank look she glared at him from below not at all intimidated, "Alec . . ."  
  
Her tone was warning and he broke the staring contest noting their closeness, "Alright, alright I admit it. You're good."  
  
Gesturing with her hand to continue she made Alec roll his eyes, "You're very good," another gesture, "You're the best X5 thief I've ever seen or known about."  
  
"That's my boy," she cooed ruffling his hair, "Now drive."  
  
******  
  
Lemme know what you think, whether you liked it or didn't, I don't mind flames. Well actually I do but five minutes later when I've stopped sulking I try to see it from the reviewers perspective and change it if I believe in did something wrong. Oh and feel free to rant like I'm doing right now. 


	4. That's in the Past

Yay! Chapter four! See it says right there (jumps up and down pointing down to the next line)  
Chapter Four  
  
Alec wasn't sure whether the sigh that escaped his lips was more amused or more annoyed in its nature; all he knew was that he'd never seen Max like this for this long a period of time, "You know you can stop gloating now."  
  
"Why should I deny myself the pleasure?" was her reply and she continued to smile. It was so wide it was infectious and Alec found himself grinning as well shaking his head at her and even himself.  
  
He couldn't stop looking at her smile, the way her eyes were sparkling, "What?!" she yelled laughing but irritation seeping into her voice.  
  
"Nothing," he quickly defended, "I've just never seen you this happy for this long. I'm really starting to think White switched you with a clone. Or have you finally realized what fine specimen of a male is sitting beside you?"  
  
The pointed look she gave him was comical and she raised an eyebrow, "The ego has landed. You know, sometimes I wonder how much pain you must have put your poor surrogate through. Your head is huge," she informed him ignoring the double meaning her gutter mind thought of.  
  
A grin split his lips and though she couldn't see his eyes through the dark glasses she was sure they were lit with mischief, "My ego merely serves as a mirror of other just as important parts that make up the package named Alec."  
  
"Wishful thinking pretty boy, it's called wishful thinking," was her reply matched with a smug smile of victory. Max 1 - Alec 0. Not that she was keeping count or anything.  
  
*****  
  
Tap, tap, tap, tippity tippity, tap, tap, tippy, tap. He could feel his eye twitching and his knuckles tightening on the steering wheel. His jaw clenched as he fought for self-control.  
  
Tippy, tippity, tap, tap tippity tap, tip. "MAX WOULD YOU STOP TAPPING FOR GOD'S SAKE!?"  
  
She stared at him with a blank, stunned look and an evil grin spread to her lips as she studied his heaving chest and flushed cheeks. She could see the white color of his knuckles and the deep, tense, set of his jaw as he ground his teeth and pointedly refused to look at her.  
  
"Are we there yet?" it was sheer will power that allowed Max to keep from laughing as she watched his jaw drop and his eyes turn to saucers as he turned to look at her. She chose instead to keep her face straight, empty of any joke or amusement.  
  
A mellow tortured whine left Alec's lips, "Why me? Why is it always me?"  
  
Max rolled her eyes at his complaints and sunk deeper in her seat, "Relax Casanova I was kidding. I'm bored out of my mind," she said with a sigh, "And there is nothing fun to do."  
  
"What about car games?" he suggested with a shrug. There was still at least 2 hours till their destination and Alec was getting bored himself, despite how fun driving a Ferrari was.  
  
"You've got to be kidding," her nose was scrunched up in half disbelief and half disdain, "I may be more giddy than usual but I'm still a bitch. Just because I'm not pining doesn't mean I'm gonna play childish games Alec."  
  
She emphasized her opinion by crossing her arms and jutting out her chin but Alec had a weapon of his own. His lips puckered a fraction, just enough to make them seem that much fuller, delicate. His brow furrowed and his eyes became shiny with moisture as he made his lips tremble.  
  
Max couldn't have looked away to save herself but to her credit she tried, "Alec . . . " she warned a smile fighting to surface, "Oh with the face and the eyes. Aaarrgh! Aiight, aiight, fine! You win!"  
  
He laughed in triumph and she glared at him sulking at herself for having given in, "Let's play Truth or Dare!"  
  
"Alec, despite the complete idiocy of that game there aren't a lot of worthwhile dares to do in a car that's speeding down the interstate," Max stated matter-of-fact to which Alec seemed to ponder her words, "Alright it will just have to be truth then. You want to start."  
  
Max didn't even look at him as she picked at a cotton strand of her top, "Fine. Why are we playing this game?" she deadpanned.  
  
"Oh come Max!" Alec complained, "Be more creative!" She looked at him, the way his eyes twinkled showing his genuine excitement and she agreed.  
  
"Hmmm . . . have you ever . . . experimented," she bit her lip to keep from laughing at his completely bedraggled look of shock, "NO!"  
  
She chuckled then and held up her hands in defense, "Alrigh, alright I'm sorry. Don't get your panties in a bunch I was just wondering cause, well you seemed like . . ." His loud protest interrupted her.  
  
"I most certainly do NOT seem like that kinda guy!" she continued laughing with her hand over her mouth as his eyes turned to slits and he grinned, "Dirty questions huh? Okay, when did your cherry go POP?"  
  
"I am NOT answering that question. It's none of your goddamn business!" she shrieked.  
  
******  
  
"C'mon Max," Alec continued, "You have to answer the question!"  
  
He ducked avoiding the bag she'd swung in his direction as he entered the dimly lit room of the latest motel room. It seemed the only thing they were doing was driving and stopping in motels and bickering and arguing throughout the whole process.  
  
"I do not have to answer," she replied; the same reply he'd gotten for the past 2 hours en route from San Francisco to Los Angeles, "And how could you choose a motel called 'The Best Western'?"  
  
Dropping everything he'd been holding he retorted, "Don't change the subject. Were you 18? No that's too old," he said answering his own question.  
  
"16? 17?" Max glared at him, "Alec drop it! I'm not telling you!"  
  
"Feistiness. Are you still a virgin?" this time he didn't manage to duck in time and Max's hand hit him on the side of the head, " I was 13 alright? Are you happy now? I went into heat for the first time and I had sex with a 20 something year old," she replied quietly through gritted teeth, "Now piss off and leave me alone."  
  
Alec stared after her as she retreated into the bathroom and closed the door behind her putting a physical barrier between them and he couldn't help but feel that in the great metaphorical sense her wall had once again gone up.  
  
*****  
  
Her back hit the back of the door and she let her body sink to the ground as she fought the memories. Refusing to believe the truth of what she'd done at such an age, of what Manticore had forced her to do but most of all at how good it had felt during but the way she'd felt afterwards.  
  
She could feel the familiar itch on her skin, the sticky sensation of imaginary dirt on her flesh and she rushed out of her clothes and stood beneath the shower turning the spray to a scalding temperature.  
  
She didn't know how long she stood below the constant gush of water scrubbing and scraping at her skin until it was red raw and it burnt at the mere touch. But she kept scrubbing trying to wash away the imaginary grime and stain of her memory.  
  
*******  
  
The X5 paced back and forth across the room. He'd shrugged out of his jacket and shirt and he remained in cords and a white tank top. The sound of the water stopping snapped him to the living world and he turned to the door, his eyes burning into and through the door with the intensity of his gaze.  
  
It seemed that hours passed but in fact was no more than a few minutes when she stepped out. The big navy shirt she wore seemed to swallow her whole and her wet hair hung straight down and for the first time, to Alec, she truly looked vulnerable. She had the same expression she'd had months ago when he'd hovered over her knife in hand.  
  
His eyes bore into hers trembling in trepidation and fear. Frightened that he'd pushed her too far, that he'd lost his first and only real friend, "Max, I'm sorry."  
  
"It's alright. You didn't know," she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "I just need some sleep till nightfall. Wake me in an hour will you?"  
  
"Yeah sure Max," he said watching her curl underneath the covers. Okay . . . that was the last thing I thought would happen.  
  
****  
  
When Alec woke her he was already in full black cat suit. The turtleneck clung to his flesh like the pants accentuating every dip and ridge of his lean body. Her eyes studied him before she forced herself to tear her gaze away.  
  
She smiled up at him and got up immediately grabbing her clothes from the neat pile near her bag and going to the bathroom. Just forget about it. It was in the past and it wasn't his fault.  
  
Two minutes later she was finishing lacing up her boots; Alec had already packed their strapping gear, ropes and harnesses and was already waiting for her at the door. She gave him a thankful smile as he held the door open for her and locked it.  
  
Walking side by side, Alec stole glances at her. She hadn't spoken to him yet but she seemed to have completely forgotten about earlier events or she was ignoring them and Alec was convinced it was the latter.  
  
Not wanting to push his luck he said nothing continuing to walk towards the bank.  
  
*****  
  
Come on! You know you want to review people! Please? Pretty pretty please? 


	5. Something Else is Up

Really sorry it took so long. I couldn't seem to write something I liked and I kept deleting and starting again. Plus life's been kinda hectic. :/  
Chapter Five  
  
Caught up in her thoughts Max barely spoke a word that wasn't a question on the heist, a command or an all clear sign. Alec stayed quiet, not wanting to snap her out of the delicate peace of mind she seemed to be in. Something big was zipping round in that head of hers he was sure, but what that happened to be, was beyond him.  
  
He didn't know whether to be worried or glad at the complete personality switch, not that he was complaining. She seemed to have dropped the bitch act and was acting playfully and relatively laid-back and he couldn't figure out what had brought on the change.  
  
Even though it turned him on seeing her angry, seeing her happy made him . . . well, happy. Oh this sounds like a sappy, trashy romance novel.   
  
The transition had been so quick that he couldn't really think of what could have caused it. Sure this trip was probably helping, not having to worry about any other transgenic in peril, or White or even Logan.  
  
As much as he wanted to he couldn't give all of the credit of her mood change to her half assed dumping pf the other man. Alec was no fool, he knew she'd been in love with him, probably still was, just the way he'd always love Rachel. No one gets over love at the click of one's fingers; especially first time love. Something else was going on in that mischievous, masochistic and sadistic head of hers.  
  
"Hey Max?" Alec whispered as he searched through the manager's desk. She was behind him ear to the safe they'd found hidden behind the oh-so- original painting.  
  
"You'd think people would hide all their money somewhere else. This is SO overdone and completely obvious," she whispered back as the telltale clinks of the mechanism announced the airtight door's opening, "Anyway, you were saying?"  
  
"This guy not only has a wife and three kids at home which two he's probably already put through college and the third is on it's way, but he's got two girlfriends too. And I mean it's so obvious that they're in it for the money, have you seen this guy's face?" he continued, holding up a picture frame. Max's nose scrunched up and she pulled a face at the photo while absentmindedly emptying the safe.  
  
"He looks like a bulldog is trying to swallow an apple with its ass," he shuddered putting the picture face down on the desk. And there it was, the smile. Grinning at his antics she shoved the last hundred-dollar bill stack into their bag and shrugged, "He's getting what he deserves then. Although maybe he was saving up for reconstruction surgery."  
  
******  
  
"One-hundred-and-twenty-nine-thousand-seven-hundred-dollars. One-hundred- and twenty-nine-thousand-eight-hundred-dollars. One hundred and twenty-nine thousand, nine hundred dollars," Alec counted back in the motel room.  
  
"Count in your head pretty boy, you're giving me a migraine," Max muttered leafing through map printouts and typing away on the laptop.  
  
"Counting it out loud makes me sound so much more rich though. One-hundred- and-thirty-thousand-dollars. Plus the eighty grand we already have brings us to a grand total of . . ." interrupting him before he could finish his sentence Max mused, "I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually."  
  
"Well if you gave me enough time to finish talking I would have said it right away. Two-hundred-and-ten-thousand-dollars. Not bad for two night's work," he said his face nodding impressed. Dropping the bag onto the floor beside the bed and shrugging out of his shirt leaving him in sweat pants Alec threw his weight backwards till he lay on his side propped up on his elbow. The bed bounced with his movement but Max didn't budge from what she was immersed in.  
  
A grinning smile was on his lips and in the cutest, adorable little boy voice he could pull off he asked, "Watcha up to?"  
  
"Forging records. Do something productive instead of looking at me," she answered not shifting her gaze, "I AM doing something productive," he argued in the same voice, "I'm thinking."  
  
"Does it hurt?" Alec's sarcastic laugh made her grin but to his complete enthusiasm she shut the laptop off and put everything she'd been doing away. Watching in curiosity he rolled onto his stomach, his head resting on his arms in front on him, and his sock clad feet swinging in mid air back and forth.  
  
Languidly stretching every single muscle in her body, Max yawned and bent down to touch her toes, her cat like agility and flexibility allowing her to touch the ground with her elbows before she rose again and flicked her hair behind her. Alec's eyes followed all of this with great interest.  
  
Flopping down next to him in the same position he lay in she gave him her most innocent smile. With intrigued and yet weary eyes he studied her expression carefully, "What?"  
  
Her face scrunched up in confusion but the impish spark remained in her chocolate brown irises, "What, what?" straining a laugh he sat up and shook his finger, "Oh no don't you play dumb with me. You've got that face," he told her his eyes keeping track of all her movements.  
  
"What face? Alec I have no idea what you're talking about," she said rolling her eyes at him but a little smile grew and pulled at the corners of her lips.  
  
Still unsure of her intentions he laid back down, "The face that says I've done something or I'm about to do something and Alec is gonna get the short end of the stick," he explained.  
  
"Well fine be like that. I guess I'm wasting my efforts with you. I'm gonna find someone else who is more than willing to have my attention lavished upon them. The motel manager's son looked pretty interested," she said shrugging and went to crawl off the bed.  
  
Two strong hands gripped her ankles and the unexpected yank tore her arms out from under her so she laid flat. Pulling again before she had a chance to move he slid her back and straddled her legs, holding her hands pinned to the bed with his. Face down on the duvet, to say Max was not impressed at her current state was an understatement. But not one of those small understatements; it was more like saying, 'Yeah sure the Titanic encountered an ice cube and it lightly scratched its new coat of paint.'  
  
"Alec?" she ground out, her voice muffled since her face was pressed against the bed.  
  
"Yes my sweet?" he answered cheekily, "Get your raggedy white ass off me. I want to get up."  
  
"It is NOT raggedy. And most certainly it ain't white. It's just as golden as the rest of me," he shot back but her comment still made him turn to look at his behind. With not as much weight on her hands she pushed with all her force.  
  
Alec felt the tell tale rush of strength too late. Max's legs crossed and spun, spinning her body over so that they both flipped and she was on top of him chest to chest and pinning his hands onto the mattress, "I may have missed out on a decade of training but ONE I stayed up in my training for that decade. I never got out of the game. TWO my recent stay taught me a few things even if I just observed. I learn quickly."  
  
"Well can ya blame a guy for trying? Who wouldn't want a writhing Max beneath them screaming at them to get off," his cursed tongue moved too fast and before he knew it the words had spilled out and he was looking into shocked brown eyes.  
  
He watched in bewilderment as a soft smile graced her face and she laughed rolling off of him, "You are such a goofball sometimes. Sketchy was right if a man isn't thinking about work, work, work. All they think about is sex, sex, and sex. Another man on a mission."  
  
Ok that was definitely not what I'd expected. Seems to be starting a trend.  
  
"Was this how you were before?" his question caught her completely off guard and she halted and turned looking back at him, still sprawled on the bed. A curious sincerity was in his eyes and she couldn't help but feel drawn from it.  
  
Shrugging a little awkwardly she sat down but remained on the edge one knee up on the mattress, "What do ya mean?" resting her head down on her hands resting on her knee; the movement making the top she wore ride up revealing the golden skin of her back.  
  
"Before everything started happening. OC said that you changed a lot this past year, that you were different when you came back from Manticore," he explained in soft-spoken tones. He was treading lightly; he didn't want her to bolt; metaphorically that was.  
  
"She did?" her voice was softer more vulnerable but a smile came onto her lips, one of those impish ones he loved about her.  
  
A resigned sigh left her lips and she crawled over to the head of the bed and for a second Alec thought she wasn't gonna say anything until she patted the spot beside her, "It's a bit of a long story and a girl's got to be comfy."  
  
Maybe he'd moved a bit too eagerly till he sat next to her propped up on the pillows, her laugh may have been an indication of that, but he didn't care, Max was gonna open up. At least a little, and chances like this were hard to come by.  
  
"I hooked up with Cindy when I first came to Seattle and joined 'Team JamPony'," she said, the last part in a mock proud voice, "Going on 5 years now. That's when things really changed for me; I'd found a friend, a true friend. And even though she didn't have the 411 on me she accepted every aspect of me that she knew."  
  
"Normal's known you since you were 16?" Alec asked in surprise his eyes widening, "Yeah roughly. Nearly 17 since I'm 21 now going on 22."  
  
Chuckling at his contemplative face she nudged him, "Yeah he saw me through the worst of my teenage years. Still holds that against me. But anyways. That's how I met Sketchy and Sky and Herbal. You never met him. He was the most confusing yet helpful Rastafarian you'd ever meet, completely lovable."  
  
He smiled at her description and watched her burrow further down and closer to him, "It was just me and the crew you know? I didn't have to worry about Lydecker and Manticore. All that mattered was chilling and winning sculling contests, watching Sketchy show off on his bike to some girl and then laugh when he miserably failed," her smile radiated and she chuckled again.  
  
"Things were as normal as they'd ever been. I shared my apartment with Kendra; she was cool, as OC would say, a complete down ass female. I went to work, chilled at Crash . . . cat burgled . . . and rode my baby. Any other time I spent looking for my sibs. I was more like you, a hell lot more like you. Always looking out for number one but always there for my friends. Don't get me wrong I was still a bitch," her words erupted him into laughter and she smiled feeling the rumble in his chest.  
  
Somehow she'd ended up with her head on his torso and his arm around her while the other held on of her hands, "Then I met Logan."  
  
"You know you never told me the specifics of HOW you met him," Alec mused and smiling she rolled her eyes, "Alright I'll bite. I was ripping off his apartment. I caught him doing a cable hack and he caught the tail end of astounding acrobatics on my part involving me taking a header out of his window like rocky the flying squirrel. And those are his words," she shrugged the grin not leaving her lips.  
  
"He tracked me down, lured me back to his apartment and once discovered who and what I was the flattery stopped and he got right down to business. He offered me quid pro quo. I became his personal kitty cat and he helped me track down the others," laughing at her words he prodded, "And what did you say?"  
  
"Basically I said he could shove it and walked out. He got himself shot in the spine trying to protect one of his contacts and when the goon came back to finish the job I was there so I figured I'd save his life. I got caught up into getting the contact's kidnapped daughter back and not to brag but I kicked ass. I saw him again when I showed up 3 months later and he was in the wheelchair. Things sorta started from there," she finished shrugging it off.  
  
"But that wouldn't radically change you. Come on there's lots you're not telling me," he whined at her.  
  
"That's a bedtime story for another night. Right now I'm very comfy and I wanna catch an hour's sleep. Goodnight pretty boy," she muttered closing here eyes and drifting very quickly off into sleep.  
  
"Goodnight Max," he whispered to the deaf walls of the room.  
  
*******  
  
Lemme know what ya think and review. It's very motivating. 


	6. Childlike Moments

Pigs are flying! I updated! Chapter Six 

The fact that when he'd awoken he was till holding Max in his arms and she was watching him with interest had been his first clue that things were definitely brewing within her mind. The complete lack of physical violence when caught her watching him replaced instead with a blush was his second.

What was brewing only god knew because she'd become completely unpredictable. How many times had he said That was the last thing I expected? He couldn't remember but a fair chunk nonetheless.

It was in that moment that Alec concluded he did not feel like subjecting his body to radioactive waves that day. The last thing he wanted to do was steal that damn microchip. In fact he just wanted to stay planted in that bed. But the alternative was for lack of a better word, painful.

"Max?" he began trying to keep his voice even, disbelief that he was even contemplating what he was about to do, "Hmmm?"

Alec fidgeted idly with the hem of the sheets behind her back forcing Max to bury the shiver that fought to travel down her spine. She could see the hesitation in his face, as if he was preparing himself and confusion furrowed her brow.

"Alec? Are you okay?" she asked slowly, to which he caught her gaze and bit his lip summoning the courage, "Well I was just wondering…" he trailed off.

The sharp poke in his ribs made him laugh, "C'mon spit it out," the new Max, or old Max depending which way you looked at it, wasn't all that different to the one he'd met in that dingy cell.

"Do we absolutely have to get that chip?" he muttered reluctantly awaiting a response. Silence. Max halted thinking about it, going over the cash they already had and what she had planned for Vegas. In truth they really didn't need it but as she turned to tell this to her partner in crime she spotted the almost tortured look he wore.

"Are you afraid your god-like body might be affected by the radioactive waves?" she asked hiding her smirk and disbelieving curiosity at what could possibly be his reasons, "And we'd need to make up the money **some** how. Is male prostitution illegal in California?"

He ignored her apart from a small roll of his eyes and finished his thought, "I mean, we could sell the car, but it's just an idea," he said trailing off and Max grinned.

"Oh you are such a goofball," she answered and continued at his quizzical look, "You looked like you were about to be objected to 6 months of inexplicable torture and all you were suggesting was to sell a car."

"Hey, a man has a right to be attached to his vehicle! You basically kiss your motorbike every time you see it," he defended himself.

"Her, not it, and there's a difference she's my baby," rolling out of bed she waved her hand at his disgruntled responses, "Get everything ready, I'm going to get dressed and when we're done, we're going to Vegas."

********

"You know the Maranello's top speed was 320kph," Alec sulked kicking a pebble across the lot, trying to keep up his argument that they could have kept the car despite not going after the microchip. The garage was bathed in a glow of artificial yellow light, but the sun was beginning to peak out.

"And this is only 214.1kph," he added looking at the car Max had spotted. A spark in his eyes and Max realized he wasn't too upset about the change of vehicle, but she'd also know he'd sulk further just to piss her off, "Oh give it a rest Alec you big baby. This ride is just as sweet," she protested rolling her eyes as she ran a hand across the car's side.

"Okay so pre-pulse, I admit this was a sweet ride but come on! This thing is older than Lydecker! Plus it's a V8 four-speed and the Ferrari was V**12** **five**-speed," Max halted him mid sentence, "Stop your gibbering you'll confuse the viewers at home. I'm stealing this car and that's the end of it. We had a nice time with the Ferrari but it provided us with $280,000 dollars US so the way I see it, your relationship with that car ended this morning and continuing in a 1967 Ford Shelby GT 500 won't keep me awake at night . . . she's a beauty," Max replied picking the lock of the car door and getting into the car as Alec followed suit.

"I'm in charge of the stereo then?" the blonde asked rhetorically yet Max answered anyway, "Whatever, as long as you stop complaining." Alec rolled his eyes and shrugged at her. Looking around contemplatively he beamed in surprised excitement spotting the sound system, "Ok so it isn't a bad trade off," Max laughed starting the car.

******

They'd been on the road for roughly an hour in which time Alec had unrelentingly played with the little knobs and buttons of the stereo moving from station to station and adjusting the sound till it pleased him, complaining the whole time that whoever had owned this 'electronic wonderland' was a pathetic excuse of a human being for not knowing how to adjust it. Max was getting a nervous twitch by now and she didn't like it; ignoring the fact that this position had been reversed a mere few days ago.

"Alec!" she exclaimed, immediately holding the attention of the attention deficit excuse for an X5 beside her; she ignored her own contradiction. His face was one of complete innocence, too much if you asked her. His eyes twinkled and a small smile as if to say 'You couldn't possibly be angry at me' stretched his lips, "Yes oh stressed one?"

Grinding her teeth she looked away keeping her eyes on the road, "I would NOT be stressed if you'd choose a fucking radio station and stick to it instead of jumping from one to the other in a never-ending circle!" she hissed at him.

"Well fine then relax cause at the moment the only thing I'm picking up on is Christian folk music, and that just ain't our style," Alec sighed switching the radio off and leaning back in his chair. Focusing his whole attention on her.

Alec studied her carefully. From her cord clad thighs, up over the curves of her hips and further past her red top and onto the smooth curvature of her neck. Following the golden skin of her throat onto her face, he studied her profile, her posture and found her unnerved, most likely at his perusal of her body.

Clearing his throat and his thoughts at the same time Alec decided to change the subject, "What job have we got lined up in Vegas? We're not too far off our mark. Another $150 000 and we're in business."

Max's eyes sparked with something he didn't have a chance to recognize because as quickly as it had appeared it vanished, "You'll see. However I think we might overshoot a little. You don't mind do you?"

As if Alec thought and from the grin on his face Max didn't need a reply to her question, so smiling she relaxed a little more in her chair and pressed down harder on the accelerator.

*******

The twinkling lights, loud music and buzz of the city washed through them as desert and blue sky disappeared and the city rose out of nowhere around them. Alec had never been here unlike Max, and she watched his eyes liven with wonder, excitement and suspiciously in mischievousness. 

The flashing signs and attractions whizzed passed them as Max drove towards a specific destination it seemed. But Alec was too entranced to take notice; this was a playground. Not just any playground, but the mother of all playgrounds and in a couple of days he could be the most popular 'kid' there.

Past a huge fountain and coming to a halt in front of the biggest Hotel Alec had ever imagined Max stopped the car and stepped out, the other X5 scrambling and following suit as soon as he realized they'd stopped. Half a dozen valets rushed towards them seemingly appearing out of nowhere, grabbing their bags, all except the one Max held with all the bounty they'd accumulated, and ushered them inside. Max didn't seem to be at all perturbed but Alec seemed to have trouble keeping track of all that was happening despite his heightened senses.

A man in a dark navy suit greeted them warmly, "Welcome to Ceasar's Palace, I am Alden Keating, the manager here. I'll show you to your suite," turning around he began walking further into the lobby towards the elevators Max in step behind them with the valets on their heels leaving Alec to catch up quickly.

Reaching the highest level the lift could reach Max and Alec steeped out of the elevator, the manager once again speeding down the corridor to the second of the only two doors and swiping a card past the lock it opened.

In a flurry of motion the valets all put the bags within the room and left at the manager's wave of a hand leaving Alec and Max and himself alone in the apartment. A look of awe on his features Alec walked further into their 'room' if you could call it that, forgetting Max and Mr Keating completely.

Max hugged herself standing in front of the aged man. A soft smile was on his face and his light blue eyes glinted at her the same way she remembered they'd always done, "It's been a while hasn't it Dan?" she asked sheepishly.

Aldan Keating smiled genuinely emphasizing the beginning wrinkles on his face as his salt and peppery hairline drew back, "It's nice to see you too child," and with that he was gone.

Max stood there, staring at the closed door in mild fascination still holding herself. A yell of excitement brought her crashing back down to earth however and shaking herself out of her musings she went in search of her childlike partner.

Everything was how she remembered it, the huge open living room, the way the furniture was placed. The wide windows and view alighted memories inside her as she went in search of Alec. Finding him in the bedroom a grin tugged the corners of her lips as she watched him explore his surrounding. The TV cabinet was open exposing a million different appliances and options including the surround sound.

Alec's attention was being happily shared by nearly every feature within the suite as he jumped around from corner to corner. Laughing to herself at his antics she dropped their bag and dropped onto the bed, her eyes never leaving his lean frame.

"Max this is absolutely fucking amazing! Have you seen the TV? And the . . . the . . . the whole entertainment section of this place! The fridge is stocked, and the closet space, we have two separate telephones . . ." he was stuttering and he knew it but he didn't care, too excited about their current accommodation.

"I'm guessing you haven't seen the bathroom yet have y . . ." she hadn't even managed to finish the sentence that he was off followed by exclamations of appreciation echoing off the marble and ceramic back into the bedroom. 

"Oh I definitely am liking this! Max get your togs on cause we are having a spa bath!" he called out and she could hear rustling of clothing muffling his words.

"No way Hose' pretty boy. Keep on dreaming," she replied, "You just want a show and besides I don't have togs."

A/N: Please read and review . . . It's an inspiration as I get a bit stuck on this story. It takes me ages to phrase what I want to say in it.


	7. Suspicions Amongst Playfulness

**Disclaimer**

**Chapter Seven**

"See Max? It isn't that bad is it?" Max sulked, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked with eyes of fire to the smirking blonde that sat opposite her. Eyes sparkling at her in amusement didn't do anything to dissolve the unvoiced threats in her flaming irises.

No reply came from her lips and Alec rolled his eyes, "Oh you can't possibly still be bitter on exactly how I got you into this bathtub!" 

When all she did was sink further into the water and glower some more Alec burst into laughter, "Get over it Max. You're acting like I pinned you to the bed, ripped your clothes off you and dragged you kicking and screaming bare naked into the bathtub we are now enjoying."

"Shut up," she hissed quietly at him, "I don't want to hear another peep."

Biting his lip to control his bubbling laughter Alec tried to keep a straight face failing miserably and finally giving in to the temptation he erupted into fits of laughter, "You should have seen your face. It was classic."

"Alec which part of 'shut up' are you having difficulty comprehending?" she ground through her teeth, "Oh give it a rest. You're fine, you're bra is fine and you gained a new swimsuit."

"Aaarrgh!" she screamed in frustration at him and getting up quickly she went to jump out forgetting that skin on porcelain when water is involved tends to be slippery. Her feet shot out from under her as she banged her knee against the side and fell backwards, water splashing out of the tub and soaking the floor.

Coming up spluttering she wiped the plastered strands of hair off her forehead angrily, "Didn't you specifically say you didn't want to get your hair wet?" Alec commented. The glare he received for his troubles however could have powdered an elephant on the spot and left nothing but one dust particle as its remains.

Swallowing his next comment he merely smiled innocently and watched her carefully step out of the Jacuzzi and slamming the door behind her on the way out, "Sheesh talk about PHS."

A loud yell came from beyond the door startling him, "I heard that jackass and it's PMS by the way," regaining his composure Alec chuckled, "No it isn't my sweet. You don't get menstruation you have a heat cycle."

Burying his laughter Alec closed his eyes and relaxed further into the tub, her muttered reply echoing in his mind, "Asshole."

Max angrily wrapped a robe around herself as she ground her teeth thinking of every way possible that she might get revenge on the laughing blonde that was still cackling on the other side of the door she'd just slammed. Aaaarrgh the nerve of that guy! she exclaimed inside her own head violently opening the wardrobe and rifling through it. 

"Cut him some slack. He is still a boy no matter his age… or genetic make up," croaked a familiar voice but Max jumped nonetheless, surprise plastered all over her features.

Turning she came face to face with a smile more wrinkled than she remembered but just as contagious as the last time she'd seen it. Alden cleared his throat and straightened up under her gaze, "He knows you're here child, he's looking forward to seeing you."

"Yeah well the feelings aint returned. He's the last person in the world I ever want to see," she muttered turning her back to him and looking through her clothing once again, between the same two shirts repeatedly and acting like she had thousands of items to choose from.

A slight, "Hmmm," halted her actions and she caught Alden's gaze again becoming for a second the child she'd been for a while under his care all those years ago before she put up her well practiced front and cleared her eyes of any emotion, "But that wont stop you one little bit from milking him for all he's worth wont it Maxie? Your limo is here."

Looking at his retreating back she sighed jumping in surprise when a hand touched her shoulder. With a strangled yelp she spun catching Alec's confused green eyes trying to suppress his amusement, "You okay Max?"

Noting his half clothed body she swallowed flicking her eyes away from his still wet torso instead to catch his eyes once again, "I'm fine. Finish getting ready we're going shopping."

*******

"Shopping? Why shopping?" Alec complained trailing along behind Max through the lobby, "We've only just gotten here. Why do I have to be tortured?" he continued overdramatically, hands buried deep in his pockets sulking along. 

His still wet hair stuck up this way and that making him seem even more like the pouting little boy. The navy shirt clung to his skin doing anything but conceal the solid muscle beneath. He didn't have his jacket with him but there was no need for it. Vegas was hot and his barcode had been lazered off along with Max's just before leaving Seattle.

Max still slightly in her own thoughts brought herself out of her inner musings of the man she didn't want to see again and focussed them on the winging X5 next to her. 

Alec silently appraised her, the fitted cargoes and body-hugging blue top no doubt covering her favourite red tank top she'd worn most of the car ride, "What's wrong with the clothes you have now? We don't need anymore."

"You only know half the plan. I need slightly more… formal wear I guess you could say. Plus I feel like a shopping spree okay? I'll buy you stuff too, now get your ass into gear," she replied hooking her arm with his and making Alec pick up his pace.

When they got to the huge mall Alec was still smiling to himself. Max's arm was still hooked with his as they walked inside the glass doors, both releasing a sigh of relief at the cooler temperature that chilled their heated skin.

"Anything you have in mind?" he asked, the grudging tone partly lifting from his voice as he looked around.

Pulling out a credit card she grinned, "Yup."

"Hey where did you get that? Do I get one too?" his eyes widened, lips forming a charming grin eyeing the small bit of plastic in mischievousness only he could pull off as amiable.

A chuckle fluttered into the air as she held it out of his reach, "No I hold the card, you simply point to what you want. Question is, are you in the mood to help me spend, four-hundred- and-ninety-thousand dollars?"

"I thought this whole trip was to save Jampony. You know earn money that Normal lost... any of this ringing a bell?" he said confused, waving his arms around as if the fresh air wafted into her face might bring her to her senses.

"Yes but to make money you have to spend money. And also kick a little ass on the way," she replied cryptically, "And since when has spending money ever been a problem for you?"

Biting back a laugh she watched him hold up his hands  in resign. A lazy grin caught his lips, irking them upwards, "Well… you got me there," he replied hooking his arm with hers this time and dragging her still laughing further into the mall.

Hours later.

Alec had had enough. There was only so much shopping a man could take even with an almost unlimited supply of cash. There was a time for drawing lines and saying stop and Alec was drawing. He was definitely drawing.

Ruffling of paper and swishing of bags was the only thing he could hear. So loudly in fact it nearly drowned out the noises of the busy shops and attractions. It also did not help that he could barely see past the parcels, packets, bags and boxes. Despite his superhuman strength he strained beneath their weight having held them for the past 3 hours.

Max dragged him around, no sign of stopping leaving him to grudgingly try to follow her. The novelty of having her buy for him everything he ever wanted had ended quite quickly. As soon as he couldn't see what she was buying him in fact.

"Max please I want to go home," the X5 moaned from exhaustion balancing his load carefully, "Can this nightmare please end?" he over dramatized.

She bit her cheek to keep from laughing at his tone and nodded forgetting the gesture was lost on her nearly blind companion, "Don't worry pookie I'm done. For today," she added grinning on the end.

"Pookie?" was the only reply she received as she led him outside back towards their hotel.

Another laugh echoed, "Yes pookie now come on."

****

The aching X5 lay collapsed on the bed. The items he'd previously discarded some 45 minutes before forgotten on the ground in the exact placed he'd dropped them simultaneously. And as he waited for Max vacate the bathroom so he could have his own shower his mind wistfully flitted upon his suspicions. Max's almost impossible good spirits to begin with, her smiles and laughter, not that he was complaining. It was nice, she was nice but the innovation was almost enough to make him want the other Max back.

The one who whined and moped and hit him repeatedly treating him like vermin. _Okay maybe without the last part_ he thought to himself.

Then there was her sudden mood hitch about her virginity. Sure it must not have been a memory to treasure but her sudden harshness and return of violence was doubtful, not to mention her sudden forgetfulness of a man she was supposedly in love with.

Logan thought her and Alec were an item and from they way he acted he'd let her go but Max knew the truth. For someone so deeply in love with a man, enough to send him away for his own good, she seemed remarkably cheerful.

**Her** idea of this wild goose chase was also another, the scams, the cons. Miss only-stealing-from-the-bad-guys herself suddenly advocating all types of larceny. That was probably the only thing he could understand. An X5 is after all an X5. You cannot tame them or housebreak them. She may have stopped for the good of robo-boy but he had no doubt that she'd missed the life.

And then there was the hotel manager not to mention the whole secrecy over what the scam they were going to pull off here in Vegas. There was something about Alden or whatever that man was called that irked him. As if him and Max already knew each other.

Too tired to even think anymore Alec let it go for the time being, groaning instead at the stiffness of his muscles. It was at times like these that he pitied the ordinaries. He was in pain and he was genetically enhanced. He could only imagine the hurting, husbands, boyfriends, and the male population in general suffered on account of these sprees.

Dusk was settling over the city of lights in a beautiful myriad of a spectacle just for him as he watched the world outside through the huge glass windows that exposed the city to him.

The bed shifted slightly and he trained his ears, not bothering to look who it was, knowing by instinct that it could only be Max. Alec felt her crawl all the way up the bed, avoiding contact with his body until she hovered above him. He couldn't feel the strands of her hair brushing against his neck, and at this proximity he should have been able to. 

Tensing his back he paused for a split second, questioning his senses, inhaling the air once again. The scent of cherry lip-gloss and baby oil hit his nose. It was Max. Slapping himself mentally he realised she must have put her hair up and he turned.

The sight that hovered above him was something else entirely.

Max watched his eyes widen in shock and then squint in perusal at her as he studied her intensely as if expecting to see someone else.

Her hands propped her up either side of his head, and her knees did much the same astride his hips as she grinned jovially at him, "What do you think?"

Her words registered in his brain and a smile caught his lips, "Looks good Max. Why did ya cut it though?" he asked in curiosity. She still floated above him, the most mischievous of looks upon her face, playful and amused.

Shrugging her shoulders she tilted her head as if pondering, never breaking eye contact with the man beneath her looking up, "Well I had split ends and I got bored of dead straight length. Looked too dreary. So I thought I'd go back to my old look."

"Looks good. Makes you more fun, not so weary. I like it. You lose part of the bitch factor though," he joked flinching awaiting the slap but instead received a laugh.

A smile mirrored her wide grin but he squinted again in suspicion as the impish flame flickered hotter, "Well we can't have that now can we?"

Last thing he saw was plump fabric before a pillow collided with his face echoed by another. Like any self-respecting transgenic however Alec wasn't gonna go down without a fight. Flipping her off him he scrounged for a weapon of his own firming his hands upon a cushion. 

Swinging it like Conan the warrior would his sword he beat off her attacks. Her eyes widened in panic as Alec's flung her pillow away and she froze. An evil grin spread across his features and a raised eyebrow mocked her.

In a split second she took off running round the bed and at full speed towards the living room. Flying over the couch she'd almost made it when jumping right behind her Alec tackled her to the ground. Holding her head to his chest in protection they rolled with momentum stopping finally near the entrance.

Not wasting a second Alec attacked; all Max could do was shriek at his relentless attacks. He laughed like a kid on Christmas joining her as his blows eased out weakened by his loud mirth.

"Ahem."

The two trangenics froze. Alec still on top looked at Max noticing her sudden wide brown eyes. 

Black shoes and black pants. Polished black shoes and impeccably creased black pants. 

Rising to his feet Alec hoisted Max up with him and looked at the man that stood at their doorway. In his early thirties he easily looked the part of the rich boy bully of the sandpit that was Vegas. Too much money and spoilt rotten.

Max's previous good mood was gone. Instead she was tense half beside him, half behind him as she stared at the man in what Alec could only describe as determination. A child facing the monster beneath her bed. A tortured soul facing one of its demons.

"Hello Max."


	8. CREAM

**Disclaimer**

**A/N: **Ok just stating that I'm going to Italy for three weeks so you most probably will not get an update till I get back cos I'll be busy shopping and visiting everyone. If one day it's raining, there's nothing to do and I'm in the mood I might post the next chapter. Oh and I'm also working on another story but that will be posted after I come back cos it's only half finished!

**Chapter Eight**

"Ever heard of knocking?" Alec asked ignoring the irony of him saying that particular sentence. Feeling the animosity grow inside him he took a breath wondering the reason of the sudden surge of protective anger that had flushed through him.

Max's hand on his arm relaxed his tense shoulder, "It's okay Alec," the panicked fear flittered for a second through her irises as he held her gaze before she bartered it with resolve telling him with that one look a million things at once all of which he didn't understand except one. This was her fight, but what fight that was he had no idea.

Turning her attention back to the man standing at their doorway she seized control of herself, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her emotions, "Hello Gareth. You haven't changed," she noted lying. He had changed, 8 years since she'd last seen him but she very much doubted he'd amended character wise.

"**You** have," he replied letting his eyes rave over her body. Alec fought the distinct urge to bloody the leering man in front of him knowing by instinct that Max didn't appreciate it despite the neutral look on her face. The ball of fire he knew as Max was strange enough to probably bloody **him**. She fought her own battles, always, just like any other X5.

"I'm not a child anymore," she commented defensively chastising herself for it. She'd promised herself she wouldn't let him get to her, she'd known it wouldn't be easy, "Trust me Maxie I can see that."

"The name's Max," she couldn't stop the anger from swirling in her irises, "Oh right I'm sorry. You still hate that."

Letting it go she accepted the apology, "I didn't think I'd see you so soon."

Gareth smiled and shrugged. He was a reasonably attractive man. He had the stereotypical blonde jock look though shorter than expected, a meagre 5' 8". Golden blonde hair slicked back carefully clean-shaven.

"I came to invite you to dinner tonight. I hadn't realised you'd brought your own," he said with a hint of amusement, "I'm hosting a special function. I would be pleasured to have both of you dining with me tonight."

"We'd love to," she nodded and Gareth took his leave. Max hesitated only a second before closing the door and locking it with a click. 

She didn't move. Just stood there, using the door as support, feeling his hazel eyes boring into her awaiting an explanation.

"Well Max whenever you feel ready to fill me on all the missing blanks you've left, lemme know alright?" he mocked in exasperation and turned around to walk away. To go back to the bed and collapse on it again, just let sleep take him over and not wake up till tomorrow so maybe he wouldn't have to think.

Damn did he want to stop thinking, about her or about the situation? About why she hadn't denied their relationship, why that had caused an unexpected emotional reaction in him. Anything and everything about the fog bank that was Max.

"Alec I…" she rasped, her voice deserting her for a second stopping him, "It's… it's not something I like talking about," she finished.

Sighing heavily she ran a hand through her new locks and walked ahead of him collapsing onto the couch, "It's not something I've ever talked about; with anyone. Not Cindy, not Logan and not Alden but I think he knows."

Sitting down beside her he sighed, "Mind starting from the start so maybe it'll make more sense?" he muttered calmly.

She paused. Too long perhaps she realized and a long sigh escaped him as he resigned got up to leave but she stopped him again. Stopped him with that firm but gentle touch she'd always used on him unless she was hitting him for something. Her hand was warm and soft grasping his forearm.

His eyes sought hers and he found turmoil within them, something that in the past few days he'd gotten used to not seeing. And now it was there again, blurring everything else into nothingness. Alec sat back down and stared hard at her, not letting her look away. Her voice pierced the air like gunshots so loud in the silence that had fallen.

"After the pulse no one cared about anyone else anymore. I didn't have to worry about foster homes or orphanages. Stray street kids were common. I travelled around, kept a low profile and did what I had to do to get by, used my skills to their full extent," she spoke subconsciously leaning closer to him, closer to his warmth and safety, "When I was 12 I ended up here in Vegas. I'd struck gold. This place was full of money and easy to hide in. The perfect place for someone like me. I never thought that this was where I'd find someone who did care..."

"Alden," the name simply came to him, realization dawning on him but on what he didn't know, all he knew was that it made sense.

He watched Max nod and she pulled her legs up resting her chin on her knees, "I stayed with him. He sorta adopted me. At the time he was Gareth's dad's butler. Mr Geffen took a liking to me immediately. Gareth was his only son and he was already in his early twenties. I gained two parents in the course of a week. A year later and I was getting anxious. I needed to leave I knew that but I didn't want to. The maids, the waiters and everyone always stressed and fussed over me. They cared."

She sighed again, "I decided to leave one night. Earlier that day I'd flushed up and Alden had left me alone in my room presumably sick. I didn't know what was wrong, I'd never been sick. I took my chance and I packed some stuff together and I snuck out of our room. I was bursting with heat and energy and I didn't understand what was happening but I didn't have time realize… I ran into Gareth that night."

Alec held his breath doing a mental calculation. Max was 21; eight years ago she would have been 13. Gareth had most likely just broken 30, eight years before he would have been…

_"Okay, when did your cherry go POP?"_

_"I am NOT answering that question. It's none of your goddamn business!"_

_"16? 17?"_

_"Alec, drop it! I'm not telling you!"_

_"I was 13 alright? Are you happy now? I went into heat for the first time and I had sex with a 20 something year old…"_

…everything suddenly clicked into place. Catching her gaze he watched her flinch at the realization in his eyes, "Afterwards I just left. He was asleep. I just up and left and never looked back. It was only later that I realized what must have happened."

Silence. Now he truly knew what a pregnant silence meant and he definitely knew he didn't like it. Not at all.

"So why are you here now?" the words surprised even him despite their quiet, hushed nature.

The same determination and resolve he'd seen while she faced Gareth was back chilled with feigned nonchalance, "He stole something from me. And I'll never get that back. It's time he knew how that feels."

****

Normal slouched in his armchair. A look of loss was almost visible in his glazed over eyes as he stared in victimised despair at the ceiling. A bottle half empty with vodka hung loosely from his right hand. Unshaven and un-kept Normal hadn't seen the likes of a shower for… well however long it was since he'd lost.

He'd promised her he wouldn't lose, promised that he'd win big and then she could have anything she wanted, no matter the cost… and he'd let her down. A choked sob escaped him, and now he was going to have to say goodbye to her for good. He knew he'd never see her again.

The insurance he'd purchased for her would change nothing. In 24 hours she'd be gone. She'd be spotless. Her body sleek and curves smooth would leave him for another.

Normal didn't know if he could watch her go. Everything in the last couple of days was a blur. He vaguely remembered putting OC in charge at JamPony. All he knew, all he could focus on was his grip on Carmen slipping forever out of his grasping fingers.

Normal jumped in surprise, the shrill ringing of a phone bringing him half out of his drunken stupor. Falling on himself he managed to grab a hold of the receiver and answer it before the answer machine collapsing onto the ground from lack of balance.

"Hello?" his croaked questioning voice sounded as his brow furrowed in confusion as he realised he was holding it the wrong way. His vision was blurry and unfocussed, his hearing as if he were underwater but the words the person on the other end of the line managed to cut through the fog in a split second.

She was gone.

Click. The concluding sound of the conversation. The final sound.

They'd taken her away. Stolen her off him. 

"This is great," he heard himself say as finally the dim bulb still barely present switched on.

***

The hot shower had helped his groaning shoulders but nothing could erase the words, the look she'd worn as she told him and Alec, **not** for the first time since he'd met her, was confused, scared, worried, angry. At her. For her. And about her.

Gareth Geffen wouldn't come out of this intact. He'd make sure of that. 

Rolling his shoulders again he let out a soft almost inaudible whine at the stab of pain he felt. He wanted to sleep, sleep and not wake up for a few days. Just lay there under the sheets, warm and safe, protected from the world, spooned into her body like at the motel. Stopping that train of thought before it could go any further he huffed and took in his appearance. 

A small smile touched his lips at his reflection.

The black pressed pants he wore were creased to perfection and his shoes, shined to the impossible. The black shirt he wore just as smart, the collar closed, rounding around his neck giving no need for a bowtie. Covered by the intricate vest and finally with the tux jacket over the top he looked like he'd just hopped out of the 1800's. All he needed was the top hat.

Sighing again his thoughts returned to her determined face. The stoic expression ingrained on her features and in his mind making him worry. His hand ran through his hair messing it up not ruining the look in any way. Damn did he want to stop thinking!

Almost like an answer to his plead Max stepped out of their room. His mind searched frantically for the knowledge on how to make coherent sentences but he couldn't. 

He'd thought she looked amazing in red but she looked stupefying in cream.

The mirthful smile he'd gotten used to her wearing was back in place and Alec was pretty sure her eyes were laughing at him but that smile was worth it.

The dress was simple enough. Tight in all the right places flowing down to the floor and even with a bit of extra trail. No straps were present and a small fleeting thought on how it stayed up flashed through his mind. The smooth material curved with her flesh and did nothing to hide her ample chest or the skin of her back as it cut lower.

Mocha flesh and coffee bean hair were the perfect harmony with the cream, exulting her beauty with no regard for Alec's health.

"I thought I'd continue with the theme of our week. Cream is perfect," she smiled amused.

Drawing his eyes away from her body he looked her in the eyes, loose curls framing her face unrestrained by any hairpin completely not hearing a or understanding a word she'd said, "Yes it is," he said anyway more to himself than anything.

"It's a C.R.E.A.M. world Alec. Might as well live it to the fullest," she laughed hooking her arm through his and letting him lead her out of their room.

"C.R.E.A.M.?" he asked confused walking into the elevator.

"Yes Alec. Cash Rules Everything Around Me," she explained nudging his shoulder the grin still present as the metal doors drew closed.

Alden smiled reminiscently whispering to himself and the empty hallway, "It's nice to have you back Maxie. It's nice to have you back. Mr Geffen would have loved to see you now."

***


	9. Access to Assets

**Disclaimer**

**Chapter Nine**

"There he is," muttered Max softly into his ear, appearing for the rest of the room like she was whispering sweet nothings in her lover's ear.

"I'm starting to really not like this guy," Alec muttered sweeping his eyes across the room once again and catching sight of him. Wearing your everyday tuxedo he made a show of his entrance trying to act like the higher class he was supposed to be but to Alec he simply looked like a little boy failing to fill his father's shoes.

Max had told him that Mr Geffen had passed away 2 years ago and left both of his casinos to his only son Gareth but what he had been surprised to hear was that the hotel had been left to Alden with an ample sum to keep running it too. He could however see why.

The huge hall was beautifully decorated for the evening. The dark reds and gold's warmed up the atmosphere and brought everyone together harmoniously. Staff, almost unnoticeably, fluttered around at everyone's every need, quickly and efficiently. If it had been left to Gareth, Alec very much doubted everything would be running this smoothly. The man didn't even know a good suit.

People were everywhere, in little groups or in couples. Men in tuxedos escorted beautiful women wearing dresses that could probably feed a family in Seattle for several weeks. Showing them off like dogs would a new bone.

As Gareth looked their way Alec grinned and wrapped his arm tighter around her waist almost possessively, "We're drawing attention Alec," Max said chuckling and rasing her eyebrows at him, looking him in the way he'd always hoped she would. No disgust, anger, hatred, not like he was a screw up but as an equal, like she liked his company, like she liked him.

"Want to give them something to stare at?" he asked smirk firmly in place and a ton of innuendo dripping from his seemingly innocent answer.

She laughed then and he smiled at the sound. Not even in a hundred years would he tire of it and in that second he understood Zack, her unit. He would have risked everything just like the other man to hear that sound, to revel in it. Zack's freedom had been seeing it shown on Max's face whether she realised it or not. And now it was Alec's.

These past few days had been a mismatch of emotions and happenings with not even enough time to arrive in one place that they moved onto another and Alec was glad for this breather. He didn't care that they were working; it didn't feel like it, it felt like a holiday. The best present he'd ever received.

"It would be my pleasure," he heard her say and for a brief moment he was confused, finally realising she was answering his earlier question. A smile of his own beamed and Max matched it as he led her further into the hall towards Gareth who seemed surrounded by his guests.

People stepped aside letting them through and Gareth spun around a smile on his face as he saw her, "You made it," he stated for no apparent reason taking her hand and lifting it to his lips noting smugly Alec bristle and unfortunately not noticing the barely repressed disgust that had flitted on Max's face.

"We were never properly introduced. I'm Gareth Geffen," he spoke his name like it was royalty and Max couldn't help picturing him as a pigeon as he ruffled his own feathers and pumped himself out. Amused by the visual she watched as Alec took the hand stretched out to him and shook it firmly, "Alec."

"Is there a surname with that?" Gareth replied amused, a sleazy smirk hiding his confusion.

"Yes," Alec replied again not at all perturbed by Gareth's unsettled features as he expectantly waited for him to continue. 

Max was desperately trying not to grin at Alec's obvious refusal to say his surname and she let her eyes rove over her criminal match. Goddamn the man looked good in a suit, and black was definitely a becoming color on him. _Course if I was on him I'd be coming_… Thoughts stopped screeching to a halt as Max tried to banish images she shouldn't have conjured.

Cheeks flushing, she scolded herself. Yeah the man looked good but just because he looked like god's gift to women and things were over between her and Logan didn't mean anything had to happen. Not that she wanted anything to happen.

Right, course she didn't. Max rolled her eyes.

And just because she always had fun with him and he could always make her smile and he was always there for her didn't mean that she had to start having more than friends thoughts about him. Okay fine… **continue** to have more than friends thoughts about him. Sure, he was her ultimate match and where she lacked he was plentiful and vice versa but they were just FRIENDS.

"…what do you think?"

Suddenly aware that a question had been posed to her and that questions in general demanded an appropriate response called a reply or an answer Max froze, "Ummm… uh," completely lost at how to respond she stuttered her eyes searching Alec's for some sort of help.

Finding no clue whatsoever though she shrugged and guessed, "Yellow?"

Soft laughter from the diminished crowd around them filled the room, "You weren't listening were you?" Gareth stated tiredly and she could see his impatience try to show upon his brow. Successfully though he kept it inside, visible only to her because she'd seen it before, palpable only because she'd felt it before. Felt the annoyance and repressed anger roll off him in waves in the many arguments she'd witnessed between son and father.

"I'm sorry Gareth it was a long trip today. I guess I'm just a little bit tired. In fact I think I might catch up on my rest. Please excuse us," she apologised in incredibly believable gentility and what must have been the best and most real looking fake smile Alec had ever witnessed.

Letting herself be led away towards the elevators Max composed herself once again, banishing the thoughts that had distracted her. She had to focus, she wasn't gonna let one hot boy... one **guy** screw up her concentration. Max needed to be at the top of her game if she was to successfully pull this off.

"We're not going to bed are we?" Alec stated more than asked.

"You haven't tired me out quite yet," she replied with a small grin but as she caught his full beam smile her mind wandered once again and she slapped herself mentally. _Damn, I've got to stop this before it gets any worse. Alec if you value your manhood, do **not** twist what I just said. I'm doing a good enough job by myself._

He could have made a comment, actually Alec was pretty sure he could have made several, but her expression had been good enough on it's own. From the way things looked, he was starting to pervert her… hey, points for Alec!

***

"So explain to me again why you can't stay in your dress?" Alec inquired relenting to the fact but not letting her know, "Well, you taking it off isn't the part I don't agree with, it's the fact you're putting something else on," he continued mostly to himself smiling at the thought but knowing she would hear anyway and curiously awaiting her rebuttal.

"I'm sorry Pookie," she replied dripping with sarcasm, "You see the problem is that if we're snooping around naked there's a higher chance we'll be noticed than if we're in black casual. 

A grin spread on Alec's face as she walked out buttoning up her black pants, shirt slung over her shoulder not yet on her, revealing smooth supple flesh concealed by a bra that looked like a bitch to undo. For that matter all bras were. It was a secret stand against males everywhere, keeping them away from the happiness they could find in the rounded smoothness of a woman. 

Alec had had few chances of coming in contact with said part of Max's anatomy, apart from a few times when he'd given her a lift. In his opinion he hadn't had enough close encounters with them. However the memory of her holding onto him, feeling her pressed into him as he zigzagged through traffic was firmly implanted into his brain.

Slipping into the long sleeved v-neck black cotton shirt she ran a hand through her hair taming it back, "I never said anything about both of us being naked," at her confused expression he explained, "You said if **we're** snooping around naked. Not that I'd mind being naked **with** you but I was talking about you specifically."

Max's cheeks flushed and quickly turning her embarrassment into anger she growled at his cocky smirk, "Argh you are such a prick."

Nostrils slightly flared she stomped frustrated picking up one of the boxes from their shopping excursion that still littered the floor and lobbed it at his head as he laughing barely avoided it making contact, "Hey, hey relax I can be naked too if you want me to."

Only making things worse with his words he watched as she launched herself at him, hands ready to throttle him as he continued to laugh, so much in fact he couldn't properly defend himself.

Alec tried his best to fight off her halfhearted attacks trying to stop his own laughter but missed one lunge. 

Thwack. Ow. Pain                 

Alec saw stars as his eyes threatened to roll back for a second. He'd always known Max was hard headed but this fact sunk in only now. Damn that girl had a serious hard cranium on her, "Shit!"

His forehead was throbbing as if he'd just played chicken with a cement truck and neither had moved. Falling back onto the pillows groaning in pain, his hands shielded his head gingerly like a little boy would a scraped knee scared of the disinfectant his mother approached him with.

Max wasn't quite so affected, having collided with the top of her head but still she rubbed sorely her scalp a flinch upon her features at the bearable ache. Sparing a guilty look at her fallen comrade she peaked a look in his direction where he lay muttering nonsensical muttering about steel hard skulls of genetically engineered women in general.

"I thought it was impossible but oh you've proved me wrong. You've got to have Robocop DNA in you, shit your head's hard! I'm gonna look like Wile E. Coyote now with a bump the size of Obelix's nose on my head… ahh," he whined with eyes still closed, features crumpled into a cringe.

Soft fingers brushed his face halting his complaints as she tenderly pushed his hands aside to take a look. A small pang of guilt hit her again as she saw the red mark where his forehead was starting to swell subtly. It would be gone in a matter of 10 minutes but it still must have hurt like hell.

Alec watched captivated as one fingertip slowly passed over the reddened skin, its cool texture lighting a shiver at the base of his spine as it passed through him, "I'm sorry Alec," she whispered quietly, "But I still think you watch way too much TV."

Confusion furrowed his brow and she smiled, "You managed to state three TV shows in one sentence."

Grinning then he shrugged not defending himself, "I was waiting for you to say something like that. It's just like you to focus and all the irrelevant pieces of information rather than the fact that you just killed several thousands of my brain cells with your noggin."

Rolling her eyes she sighed as she caught the teasing glint buried beneath his false kicked puppy look, "Oh give it a rest you baby. C'mon, everyone's at that function and we won't get as good a chance to look around for a while."

"And don't even think of complaining the whole way," she added that last bit seeing his expression change, "Alright keep your panties on… or not."

Laughing he dodged her hand and jumped off the bed, "C'mon Maxie, time's a' wastin'."

***

Getting in had been disappointingly easy. For one of the biggest hotels in Vegas with a casino built into it, it was remarkably lax security wise. He'd been expecting a headache.

He'd sorta gotten one, though not in the way he'd originally thought, Alec mused rubbing his forehead absentmindedly.

Hacking into the computers had been cake too. In fact Alec was quite sure that eating cake was way more exhausting than this. He was actually bored.

Watching Max's thoughtful features as she impatiently waited for the hard drive to copy onto their disc he studied her carefully. A thought occurring to him he took several deep breaths inhaling the air almost wearily. Nope she wasn't in heat.

_That means old boy that you have in fact perverted her,_ he grinned, _wow congrats man._

Now, however he had her scent impregnated into his mind and even the smallest of breaths he took he could smell her, feel her there and god it was good. Quick flicks of his tongue moistened his parched lips as his thoughts ran away with him. The blonde groaned in disbelief of himself attracting Max's attention as she looked at him confused.

Smiling nonchalantly waving off her perplexed expression he swore mentally. No man should ever put Max, tongue and lips in the same thought, **especially** if she was present in the same room.

Damn it was hot in there. The office walls seemed to shrink down around him as his breathing picked up. He definitely should have put something lighter on rather than the tight black turtleneck he was wearing. _What the fuck, were you thinking? You moron. What kind of idiot wears a turtleneck in Vegas?_

The way he saw it, he only had two options. **One**; grin and bear it till they got back to their room, then change and go for a swim in the hotel's pool or… **two**; annoy the hell out of Max so she was just as uncomfortable as he was. Not one to disappoint Alec went with the second one.

"So Maxie. After we download these classified plans of the building and get the layout of the vault. What do we do after that?" he asked indifferently focussed on getting something that appeared to be stuck underneath his fingernail.

Jolting slightly at the unexpected question she paused a second as if phrasing in her mind what she was going to say, "Well then we rip off the entire casino and drive off into the sunset."

Nodding his agreement he didn't meet her eyes, "And then, when we get back to Seattle with roughly 310 million dollars, because as you told me the casino vault also serves as the family vault, and we leave Gareth to try and rebuild what his father left him, something which he'll obviously fail at and in his failure will probably lose important allies, friends and make enemies, drive himself into a depression he'll most likely never get himself out of till he dies on the side of a street in the clothes of a beggar smelling like alcohol and vomit all alone and cold, what do you plan to do with all that money? And what was the point for the other scams apart from getting money for your shopping spree?"

Amazing how it doesn't matter where you are in the world, whether trapped in a Siberian blizzard, in the Amazon forest hunting for berries or in a Las Vegas Hotel manager's office. When someone kills the conversation you can still hear those pesky little crickets chirping in the background. Maybe that's how it started for Ben. Those chirps could drive anyone insane.

Shocked brown eyes blinked at him and then she grinned at him and shook her head hiding her chuckle as the computer beeped announcing it had finished and she removed the disc.

"What?" Alec asked confused at why she wasn't denying, defending or just plain getting aggravated at his questions.

"You are such a goofball sometimes," she stated smiling, "So then how bout that swim?"

His face must have been comical because Max laughed again and then continued, "I know you've been wanting to try out the pool since we got here. After that however we really need to get some sleep."

Following her quietly out of the office they walked silently, Max still grinning, towards the front desk where Alden stood smiling in their direction, "You're scary sometimes you know that?"

Rolling her eyes she chuckled.

Turning her attention back to Alden she smiled, "Hey Al. In our room there's several shopping bags that I placed near the entrance, don't worry bout the ones in the bedroom. Those other ones however, could you see that they're packaged and posted to this address?" she asked handing him a piece of paper.

Nodding politely he reassured her he'd have someone on it right away calling to some bellboys, "Oh and one more thing Mr Keating," keeping her pretence of a guest as a staff member came up to her. The last thing she wanted to do was get Alden in trouble or in suspicion after they blazed with the cash.

"Yes Miss Guevara?" he inquired halting the clerk that had come up to him in a signal to wait.

"Since last time I've been here it seems nothing had changed. Everything is wonderful, nothing's ever out of place," she complemented.

Alden smiled, "Nothing has changed Miss. Everything is in the same place as the last time you graced us with your visit."

Another round of smiles and they parted Alec with slight bafflement, "What the hell was all that about?"

Max grinned walking into the waiting elevator and watching the metal doors close, "I was just checking something," she replied as the lift began its ascent.

"Yeah and what was that?" Alec continued curiosity growing with every second of her being cryptic.

She didn't reply right away and for a moment Alec thought she wasn't going to but as the elevator continued on past their floor, confusion settled onto his brow as it came to a stop. Max pressed the wall slightly and Alec jumped when a number keypad slid out.

Grinning Max pressed her thumbprint onto the blue screen and punched in a code, a smile on her face, "Welcome Max," greeted the mechanical voice as the keypad disappeared back into the wall.

Alec was beyond lost as the doors opened, "Checking that they hadn't erased my clearance for the top floor access."


	10. Deja Vu

**Disclaimer**

Unbelievable isn't it? I'm surprised myself. TWO updates in TWO days… must be a personal record.

**Chapter Ten                                                                                      **

There comes a time for everyone to feel completely lost. When all they know is that they're stuck in a whirlwind of happenings, that they are right in the middle of something important and greater than anything they've ever been a part of but what that something is, is as secret as the meaning of life.

Max hadn't been exactly forthcoming with details lately when it came to anything to do with this hotel and Gareth or her current mindset and that's exactly how Alec felt. Stuck in the middle, somewhere between her mixed up thoughts and emotions and what she wanted to do. The girl was gonna go off the deep end… 

"Literally," he whispered as he watched her dive into the crystalline waters of the pool.

Since those metal doors had opened Alec had been dragged those few steps out to let the elevator return back to the lobby but hadn't moved since. A philosophical trance had swept over him as he watched happenings unfold before him. Bedazzled hazel eyes had watched Max with her back to him divest her clothes down to her underwear and ditch shoes, jeans and shirt upon a lawn chair.

The setting was a little too close to home as a sense of déjà vu swept over him.

Placid waters lapped at the pool's edges, the smooth curves of the sides making it seem surreal. Lit with dimmed lights, the whole atmosphere was amazing as the contrasting transparent blue of the waters melted harmoniously with the indoor oasis of plants and palms. Only two walls of the room were solid the other two and the ceiling, one way glass which Alec noted impressed, was clean enough to see the stars.

Alec's attention had been drawn back to the dark beauty of his current crime partner, his kin, and his friend, his… something. Max was one and a million things to him. Each one starkly different from the other yet so alike in every way.

She'd walked around the edge of the pool in anticlockwise contemplation, each step of her right leg dipping her toe into the water, till she'd reached the deep farthest end of the pool.

When she'd dived, allowing the waters to swallow her, his heart has skipped a beat.

Nothing had ever seemed so pure, so surreal and so existent at the same time. He could see her swimming to the other side, no need for air thanks to her Manticore heritage, and for the first time in several minutes he moved losing his shoes and clothes along the way till he stood, only in boxers at the pool's edge.

As she resurfaced he caught her gaze and Alec watched as she waded over to him till she floated below him staring up into his intense eyes waiting silently.

"The first time I went to buy boxers was just after we'd saved those kids from White for the first time. Up until then I'd gone commando but after seeing that kid shot in the leg I asked myself what I'd have done if I'd been shot, higher up my leg, and you guys had had to take my pants off. Not that I'd care if anyone saw me naked but first impressions count," he spoke softly but his words confused her nonetheless. 

Sitting down on the edge Alec let his feet and calves float in the water as he continued, "At first I was gonna buy the ones with little red hearts on them but by that point I'd watched so many cartoons that even I knew only the bad guys who end up getting down-trailed wear those," his words sparked a smile on Max's face and he shrugged grinning at her chuckle, "So when I saw the black jesters I knew I had to buy a pair. They've been my favorite ever since."

"In other words, a tortured smart-ass?" Max asked not teasing but her tone light hearted, speaking the truth and not making light of the situation but drawing a smile out of him in knowing she understood, "Yeah."

Max moved back and Alec slipped into the pool, the tepid water rising to his shoulders whereas on Max's shorter figure it lapped around her neck.

With a quick smile he dipped underwater with the movement of a dolphin, flapping his feet and mirroring the movement of their distant mammal cousin before flipping in the water and returning to the surface a few feet away from her.

Calloused hands slicked his wet hair back off his forehead and his gaze didn't waver off her as she followed suit of his movements diving beneath the surface towards him but as she parted his legs and swam through them a mixture of amusement, surprise and pleasure dawned on his face her movement brushing past parts of him that she'd never been that close to.

Max was none the wiser as she reappeared behind him smiling genuinely as he turned and arched an eyebrow at her, "I haven't done that since last time I was here."

Quiet laughter rippled through him, captivating Max as the muscles of his chest tensed in kind with a spectacle of beauty. 

True human beauty.

Max had never seen the true magnificence of a human body until Alec and no matter how her dirty mind twisted that it wasn't at all what she meant. Every emotion he felt, his body mirrored it, nervousness, anger… laughter.

Zack had been bigger than Alec; more filled out and defined, a lion, regal. Krit had been sleek yet powerful, more like Alec in structure and physique but he'd been dark like the panther, the jungle cat. Biggs' shorter and fuller figure had reminded her of a jaguar, quiet but dangerous.

Alec was something different.

True they were made beautiful but that wasn't what had captivated her. At least not completely. She'd never encountered this kind of cat.

At first she'd dubbed him as tiger. Power exuded off of Alec as much as he oozed sex appeal, and he symbolized both with such nonchalance it was almost unnerving yet so endearing at the same time. He was the big catch and he knew it. It hadn't matched later on however. Her brother Zane had been more like a tiger, he'd carried that silent ferocity, the quiet yet unambiguous threat to his enemies. Alec's golden complexion had gotten her thinking one sleepless night as she'd laid awake in bed trying to pinpoint exactly what he reminded her of.

Muscles taught with strength and disguised power, smooth flesh with a deceiving beauty, more so than many big cats, it was defined and persuasive, pronounced in the rusted gold and the dusked lines of its features. But what had won over was one simple fact. Alec didn't roar.

It sounded ridiculous but when he was angry, when he was cold and detached, when he was dangerous Alec didn't roar. He didn't need to. Staring into his eyes when they glinted predatorily Max had seen the mountain cat. 

A visible intensity always present in his eyes, hazel flicked with golden rays.

Alec was a puma. 

A cougar.

Before she knew what she was doing Max reached up and ran a hand through the slick strands of his hair and ruffled the water out of it until it messily sat upon his head like usual though more pronounced, "Looks better this way."

He smiled then and flicked his eyes upward in a half attempt to get a look at it, "I'll keep that in mind," a thought fell into his mind then as he looked back at her, "You know what song has been stuck in my head since Normal collapsed against my door pissed drunk and I called you up?"

"No," she replied, "But I'll bet you that I have it if Alden kept all my cd's."

Eyebrows rising he nodded silently accepting the bet, "Ever heard of Barenaked ladies?"

A Cheshire grin settled on Max's face as she swam around him, hands settling on his shoulders as she pulled herself up almost in piggyback fashion so she could speak close to his ear, "Chickity China the Chinese Chicken?"

Surprise passed over her features fleetingly when she felt him shiver, _he must be cold_, she thought, "Yep that's the one."

"Well then I won the bet which means you have to sing along to it for me," she stated laughing reaching over for a remote on the side of the pool and punching a few buttons, "Oh you can't be serious?"

"C'mon pretty boy, show me exactly how fast you can talk!" Max grinned, laughter visible in her eyes.

**It's been one week since you looked at me.  
Cocked your head to the side   
and said I'm angry.**

Max grinned as the song started and Alec groaned in disbelief, "Cmon then I'm waiting."

**Five days since you laughed at me,   
saying get that together   
Come back and see me.**

A surrendered expression fell on him and clearing his throat began to sing along to the tongue twisting fast paced lyrics of the song that seemed to have been made to tell their story of this trip.

**"Three days since the living room.  
I realized it's all my fault,   
But couldn't tell you.**

**Yesterday you'd forgiven me   
but it'll still be two days   
till I say I'm sorry."**

Max laughed entertained allowing the water to support her body as she joined in, a silent challenge… 

**"Hold it now and watch the hoodwink,   
as I make you stop think.   
You'll think you're looking at Aquaman.   
I summon fish to the dish,   
although I like the Chalet Swiss.  
I like the sushi   
Cause it's never touched a frying pan.**

**Hot like wasabe when I bust rhymes.  
Big like Leann Rimes,  
because I'm all about value.  
Bert Kaempfert's got the mad hits.  
You try to match wits,  
you try to hold me but I bust through**

**Gonna make a break and take a fake  
I'd like a stinking aching shake  
I like vanilla, it's the finest of the flavors  
Gotta see the show cause then you'll know  
The vertigo is gonna grow  
Cause it's so dangerous   
You'll have to sign a waiver."**

Both almost getting their tongues stuck burst into laughter as the chorus played by itself. Catching his gaze while they listened he shrugged innocently and she laughed again, it was scary how much the song was like Alec and what had happened to them. 

Except for one thing, "You know the only difference is that I don't like sushi," and there it was.****

**How can I help it if I think   
You're funny when you're mad  
Trying hard not to smile   
Though I feel bad I'm the kind of guy   
Who laughs at a funeral  
Can't understand what I mean?  
Well, you soon will  
I have a tendency to wear my mind   
On my sleeve I have a history   
Of taking off my shirt.**

Bursting into laughter again at the last line Max shook her head thinking back to Manticore and the way he'd come into the cell but she didn't have time to think about it as Alec had started again.

**"It's been one week since you   
Looked at me  
Threw your arms in the air and said you're crazy **

**Five days since you tackled me   
I've still got the rug burns   
On both my knees."**

"Oh you big, big baby. Besides we've been through this it was your fault," she defended herself, but the annoyance was fake, she was teasing him. 

Max was teasing him. God why did that sound wrong yet so right at the same time?

**"It's been three days since the afternoon  
You realized it's not my fault   
Not a moment too soon.**

**Yesterday you'd forgiven me  
And now I sit back and wait   
Till you say you're sorry."**

The song settled into a purely instrumental part and Max took the opportunity to splash Alec in an attempt top wipe the smart-aleck grin off his face and banish some of the smugness and teasing look of his expression.

Not at all perturbed however the blonde X5 splashed back as an all out war broke out in the once quiet room. Squealing at the tidal waves hitting her Max gave up trying to wipe the water out of her eyes and dunked beneath the surface instead, swimming towards a yet to notice Alec. Hand grabbing his ankle she dragged him under with her, the surprise on his face making whatever he was going to retaliate with worth it.

**Chickity China the Chinese chicken  
You have a drumstick   
And your brain stops tickin'  
Watching X-Files with no lights on   
We're dans-la-maison  
I hope the Smoking Man's in this one**

**Like Harrison Ford I'm getting Frantic  
Like Sting I'm Tantric  
Like Snickers, guaranteed to satisfy  
Like Kurasawa I make mad films  
Okay I don't make films  
But if I did they'd have a samurai**

The song sounded muted, far away beneath the water as Alec made a lunge for her, pulling her scrambling form under him as they wrestled, wide grins on their faces completely unaware of anything else except the song, them and the wrestle for dominance.

**Gonna get a set of better clubs  
Gonna find the kind with tiny nubs just so   
My irons aren't always flying   
Off the back-swing  
Gotta get in tune with Sailor Moon  
Cause that cartoon has got   
The boom anime babes  
That make me think the wrong thing**

**How can I help it if I think   
You're funny when you're mad  
Trying hard not to smile   
Though I feel bad I'm the kind of guy   
Who laughs at a funeral  
Can't understand what I mean?  
Well, you soon will  
I have a tendency to wear my mind   
On my sleeve I have a history   
Of taking off my shirt**

A very un-Max like shriek turned into a gurgle when she forgot the fact that she was still underwater. Feeling herself tossed out of the water she made to protest but didn't have the time as she fell back down -gravity winning- and sinking into the deep water once again. Alec was upon her in an instant, his hands grasping the slippery flesh of her sides and legs trying to hold her still in vain.

**It's been one week since you looked at me  
Dropped your arms to your sides   
And said I'm sorry**

**Five days since I laughed at you  
And said you just did just what   
I thought you were gonna do**

The biggest smile she'd ever seen was on his face as he lifted her out of the water but she didn't get to look at it for long as he swung her over his shoulder in the classic fireman hold. Deliberately jumping with her, Max grasped for support to alleviate the feeling of his broad shoulders jamming into her stomach not knowing the effects she was causing with the movements of her hands.****

**Three days since the living room  
We realized we're both to blame   
But what could we do?**

**Yesterday you just smiled at me  
Cause it'll still be two days   
Till we say we're sorry**

**It'll still be two days  
Till we say we're sorry  
Birchmount Stadium home of the Robbie.**

Finally out of the pool Max was dropped unceremoniously onto a padded lawn chair, her wet hair in disarray all over her face but a wide toothy grin implanted on her features, "I won."

Sputtering for some way to deny his words she couldn't keep the laughter in for long as she waved at him in playful dismissal, "Bah, humbug."

"C'mon Max admit it. I want to hear the words," he smirked tauntingly, throwing her own words back into her face and by the looks of her miffed yet amused expression she'd realised that little fact.

Ignoring him she did exactly as he'd done changing the subject, "The view is nice isn't it?"

"Max those aren't the words," she chuckled at her own response coming this time from his mouth as a funky feeling of déjà vu swept over them as they continued this half re-enactment of one of their lighter past squabbles.

"Aiight, aiight I admit it. You bet me."

Gesturing with his hand to continue he made Max roll her eyes, "Without cheating," another gesture, "Even though I cheated by trying to tickle you."

"Good girl Maxie," he hassled delivering a rather unappreciated nooggie to her head, "Now scoot over."

Shock registered upon her face and she asked in disbelief, "You expect me to share my chair with you?" the question making Alec hesitate for a moment before he nodded, "Not likely," she protested her hand swatting his head.


	11. Mud Ramblings and Towels

**Disclaimer**

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long, but I'm working on two new stories at the same time and that detracted my attention for a while. I've almost finished the standalone so that will be up in a few weeks and the other story I've finished planning it out and now it's just up to writing it and I will post the first chapter of that when I post the last chapter of this story. Don't worry updates should come quicker however because I've practically fully sorted out what I want to happen in this story and it will make it easier for me to write it.

**Chapter Eleven**

A sigh of relief whooshed out of Normal's mouth as he shook Mr Olsen's hand at one of his men's confirmation of the deposit into his account and left the way he'd come in, making his way on foot back towards his apartment. He could use a bit of air to clear his head anyway.

Despite popular belief Normal was not one of the struggling masses, in fact getting by comfortably enough and not worrying about where his next meal would be coming from.

Not rich by far but he did own one very valuable treasure. Had owned.

Carmen was worth a lot of money. A classic even before the pulse and Reagan Ronald had looked after her like a mother would a child. Normal was the only one who knew he was the proud owner of that car, well him and his insurance company. So worried that he might be affiliated with it that after much hesitation he'd stationed her in L.A. under Tommy Blade's careful watch. Only enjoying her company on holidays.

In his drunken stupor he'd forgotten all about the instructions Tommy had should Normal encounter economical problems.

Glancing around Normal's eyes flitted across a group of people huddled around a burning trashcan, shaking his head he averted his eyes again and proceeded on his way, glad that he wasn't like them, that he had a warm bed to look forward to at night and a roof over his head on the contrary of most of Seattle and the rest of the country. 

The memory of his back up plan hadn't returned until he'd received that phone call; Tommy confirming she'd been taken.

Insured for a gross amount of money, double the amount he'd lost at the races she was his scapegoat. Under his instruction the car had been stolen and the insurance had had to fork up the cash. Normal had paid the gambling association, or rather Mr Tudor Olsen, and was now out of debt. Carmen however had a tracker; a GPS and both him and Tommy were following her progress closely.

All that was left for him to do was wait for Blade's men to go get it back and she'd be his again in no time. 

It was just a phone call away.

****

Her tongue burned a fiery trail of kisses down his chest, teeth scraping across a nipple and biting his pectoral gently leaving an imprint of teeth, marking his flesh as hers and drawing an elongated moan form his pink lips. Lips snaking and open mouthed kisses left in her wake she moved lower and lower down his body feeling the friction of his body hair against her own smoothness as she slithered down his torso, legs intertwined.

Hands explored his body trailing his thighs and coaxing sigh and moans with every caress.

Obvious display of pleasure on his part pressed insistently against her and with her every move it rubbed between their bodies that were slick with sweat causing both to cry out in excitement.

Reaching her destination Max halted and looked upon his length in wonder, her soft breaths blowing puffs of air across its straining tip and she watched it quiver in anticipation. Closing her eyes she closed her lips over the head and ran her tongue along the underside applying tender pressure delighting in his cries.

Her name left his lips and his hips bucked up at her as her mouth drew him in further, "Max."

The sound spurred her on and she went even further speeding up her movements, "Max!"

"Max!!"

Jolting awake Max startled out of her skin jumping upright in a mix of shock, lingering pleasure and confusion.

Suddenly everything rushed back to her.

She was in Vegas… with Alec… staying at Caesar's.

His name in her thoughts brought her crashing to the present and her eyes caught his. Chest still heaving from the afterglow of her dream a slight panic was in her irises remembering the feeling of his flesh against hers, the taste of… _Woah Max stop right there babe, stop right there and think of something else._

"Mud."

"Mud?" Alec looked at her confused, his expression comical and had it not been for her current situation she would have probably already been peeling herself laughing on the floor already.

Looking down at herself she realised all she had on was her underwear and a tank top. A **white** tank top. Eyes widening in alarm she realised her body was proudly and annoyingly displaying exactly what kind of pleasure her dream had been providing for her. Sweat had soaked the shirt and had made it sheer and transparent and her nipples, hard as rocks jutted out unabashed through the almost non-existant material.

Gasping, in what Max convinced herself was embarrassment and not pleasure, as she was reminded once again of where exactly her mind had been taken her, Alec's eyes followed her path his breath hitching in his throat.

Hands snapped up cupping her own breasts in an attempt to shield them from his view, their sensitised skin almost drawing a groan out of her, _I wish it was his hands on me._

Squealing in a very un-Max like way she threw herself off the bed almost tumbling to the floor and edged away from him as he continued to look on in bafflement, "Mud."

"What's with the mud thing?"

Alec's nude body covered in mud, her own just as covered, on the shores of a river, the muscles rippling underneath it, it's wet consistency making it shine under the setting sun as he climbed on top of her, the hard contours of his body moulding into her softer one with ease…

"I'm gonna go shower," she shrieked and basically ran for the bathroom slamming the door behind her. _What the hell is wrong with me? I'm so horny I'm dizzy!_

_Ok that was odd. Wasn't expecting that._ Alec mused to himself. 

Twenty minutes later when Max emerged clean and dressed, hair still partly wet, though she'd towel dried it, Alec was still looking at her strangely but shrugging it off she brushed past him wafting the scent of fresh baby oil past his nose and the blonde X5 had to bite his lip to keep from groaning. He could see her skin fresh and soft with it and there was nothing he wanted more in that moment than to brush her hair off her shoulder and nuzzle her bare neck inhaling the scent of the naked skin her off-the-shoulder top exposed.

She'd sent most of what they'd bought back home to be delivered to his apartment and they'd already left instructions to Dix at HQ to set Biggs up at his pad to receive the stuff.

Lots of it was for Terminal City anyway, including a brand new computer for Dix and Luke. The only thing she'd kept was two new mobiles and more appropriate clothes for them. Despite very different to his normal look Alec was thankful for the cargo shorts she'd bought him and the sleeveless t-shirt. Blue, nonetheless. According to her he looked good in it.

Alec shook off his thoughts and managed a weak smile at her but she ignored his gaze refusing to meet it. With a sigh of frustration Alec finished tying his shoelace and ran to catch up to her just as she was leaving their room.

It was still early, only 8:30 or so but it was already hot and the two transgenics were thankful for the air conditioning. Looking out the windows once they reached the floor to the restaurant they could see the heat rising off the pavement and Max with a slight grin realised she'd never thought she'd miss the rainy overcast weather that hung around Seattle 360 days a year.

They still hadn't spoken a word and Max was half glad as she really had no idea what to say. The dream was still fresh in her mind despite how many times she'd tried to repress it her thoughts kept on spinning 180 degrees and returning right back to it.

"You know I could understand if it was a tropical island or something," fate seemed to want her to dwell on it though as his voice brought more flashes to her eyes.

The waiter showed them to a table and they sat down, Max still avoiding his gaze staring outside instead, "What do you mean?"

Grinning he continued, "It feels like we're on the surface of the sun and yet we're in the middle of nowhere. I mean I could understand if we were in the tropics somewhere, but here… I don't think my body can handle it all that much more if I don't get regular pool breaks."

Last night rushed back to both their minds and the tension grew thicker while Alec berated himself mentally. _Why the hell am I so good at conversation stoppers?_

Alec watched Max moisten her lips, something he'd noticed she only did when she was irresolute, almost like a nervous habit, something to fill the silence but this time it was different. In confusion he watched her leave earth getting a faraway look in her eyes and repeating the action torturously slow much like a panther would staring at its quarry. Twin glints appeared in her eyes as they moved slightly to the right and Alec realized she was recalling past events.

Breath hitching at the incredibly arousing spectacle he was witnessing Alec squirmed in his seat curiosity burning holes into him as he tried to think of what his very far away companion could be thinking… or rather recalling.

"Max!" startled out of her thoughts she blushed slightly hiding her face in the menu, anything to avoid his gaze and forget that stupid dream, "Where did you just go?"

Huffing at his determination to unknowingly keep her thoughts where she didn't want them she dropped the menu looking at him. Green and brown swirled together, both forgetting what they were about to say, silence filling the void.

"Excuse me, are you ready to order?" thankful for the waiter's interruption Max averted her eyes and turned a full beam smile to the awe struck suit. 

"Yes thank you. I'm going to have the French toast, extra strawberries please," regaining his wits the waiter quickly scribbled down the order turning to Alec who managed to bury the jealous scowl in time, covering it with his charm your pants off of anyone grin as he ordered the full cooked breakfast and a hot chocolate for himself and Max.

That was one thing he'd learned on this trip, Max really didn't like coffee unless she had access to milk and an almost sickening amount of sugar. Just like him. They'd laughed it off when they'd both caught each other adding the same suicidal quantities and put it off to having had so much bitterness that no more was needed.

A smile touched his lips remembering and he caught her gaze again as they both thought the same thing. 

The morning he'd awoken with Max in his arms and they'd gone off to that diner for breakfast was his favourite moment of this trip so far. Her happiness had been infectious for the past few days but that morning it had been even more so if that was even possible. She'd looked positively… Max. Of course he'd gotten hit several times because he just couldn't help himself but stare at her but he hadn't cared, it'd been worth it.

This was another of those moments; it was just him and Max, no distractions or thoughts of guilt about Logan or Rachel, no past just present.

Leaning back into his chair he stretched lazily and released a pleased sigh, "So. What are we up to today?"

"We're gonna scam of course," god how much he loved that smile.

***

Wind whipping through her hair contrasted to perfection the warmth of Alec's body around hers. Huge smiles on their faces and his exultation of success provoked a great deep feeling of satisfaction as she revved the bike faster ripping up the streets with a an almost vertical wheelie.

Max loved the small-scale scams far more than the big ones. More exciting and dangerous, sometimes the risk not even worth the reward, it was the adrenaline making anything worth it. She'd gotten so caught up in ripping Gareth that she'd forgotten their initial reason for this trip, apart from saving Jam Pony that is. A little relaxation revelling in their abilities without having to worry about Logan's disappointed stare.

This was the fifth bike they'd taken off with, and legitimately too. Well as legit as a pair of cat burglars could be that was. Street racing wasn't exactly legal but they'd won them fair and square along with ten grand each time and after each victory it didn't take them long to find a nice new home in a garage somewhere, the sell rewarding with several grand at a time.

Not to mention the casino cons they'd done before lunch.

Damn did Alec have light fingers, sidling up to middle aged gambling women, stealing their chips from right under their noses, while she observed him inconspicuously playing the part of the ditz, gambling for the first time.

Alec had laughed his ass off when she'd told him of when her and OC had had to dress up as working girls and gamble the night away to save Sketchy's ass. Max still remembered the warm sound of his rippling laughter and she felt the hairs on her body rise in pleasure, his body against hers not helping in the least.

It didn't take them long to find someone willing to buy the CBR and it was barely 5 in the afternoon when they headed back to the hotel, Max insisting she wanted to shower before going out that night.

"With the amount of showers you're taking, Vegas' water supply is gonna be halved by the time we go back to Seattle," he grumbled and she laughed at him, her hand settling around his waist, reflex forcing him to wrap his around her shoulders, "Oh give it a rest Pookie. I swear ten minutes tops, a change of clothes and we're out again. By the time you've counted the money I'll be ready to go."

Grinning she sniffed the air and made a face, "On second thought you're having a shower too. You're not exactly a bed of roses Alec."

***

A smile was settled on her lips, lazy in its appearance but without of doubt of satisfaction. She lay on the bed watching the city slowly light up as the sky began darkening with the creeping of dusk over the horizon. The sound of beating water in the background was relaxing and tranquil, soothing even. Max sighed softly, happy, just thinking about everything in general and trying to ignore the little niggling thought in the back of her mind of how good Alec must look in the shower.

Small chuckles escaped her as she remembered just a mere half hour ago when she'd walked out of the bathroom…

_…Max released a breath and smiled as a cloud of steam spilled out behind her and the cooler air of the bedroom played against her flesh. A shiver rippling through her she had the distinct urge to giggle but suppressed it swiftly looking instead to a calculating Alec sitting on the loveseat next to the balcony window._

_The bag with their money was on his lap, a look of contemplation on focus on his face forcing her to smile, 'He looks adorable with that expression,' she couldn't help but think._

_Not wanting to bring him back to reality but knowing she had to Max sighed softly, "Bathroom's free."_

_Alec didn't look up, instead stuffed the bills back in the ruck sack and zipped up putting it back into the hiding place and removing his shoes, "We're almost there you know. Selling the bikes, plus the winning of the races raked in 82 grand which is not bad at all though buying into the race stole us 2 grand each time which brings us back to – considering your little shopping spree that cost us 67 grand – to a total of four-hundred-and-ninety-five thousand dollars. Counting the casino pick pocketing…"_

_Alec looked up._

_Alec stared._

_Max shifted beneath his gaze self consciously checking herself over for something that might cause him to stare. Doing a whole 360 on herself she finally gave up exasperated, "What?!"_

_Alec breathed._

_"…which though it was incredibly fun and we must do it again only gave us fifteen grand and it brings us to five-hundred-and-ten dollars. We're 53 k off our goal."_

_Max stared._

_"What?!" Alec asked unintentionally copying her._

_"What do you mean what?" Max responded, for a second asking herself if they'd always been this articulate, with the whole one syllable word thing._

_Shrugging it off Alec tried to brush past her but she was faster moving in front of him, "Why were you staring at me?" Nope looked like one syllable words was all they were capable of, not to mention having whole conversations with only questions. They were real good at that too._

_Something resembling a grumble fell off his lips and not even Max's super hearing and high IQ could have decoded it, "What?"_

_"I said you're wearing my towel."_

_Silence._

_"So?"_

_Silence, "Well it's blue."_

_Silence, staring and blinking._

_"It looks good on you." …_

Max quietly laughed to herself again remembering how he'd stood there for about half a second while she stared at him completely lost on how to respond before rushing off to the bathroom. So quickly in fact that he'd missed the low blush that had crept up her neck and to her cheeks as she glowed with girly pride at having received a compliment.

She didn't know how she could have ever overlooked how incredibly amusing he was. Not to mention adorable, though that word didn't do him justice. Charming better suited, followed closely by endearing.

Any thought that was to follow was interrupted though as the water turned off and Max shifted her gaze to the door, Alec walking out in a pastel pink towel a slight frown on his face. Stifling her laughter with her hand Max valiantly kept any comments to herself as he glared at her when she caught sight of the embroided 'Hers' "Don't even think of saying a word. It was the only towel in there."

Yup. Tonight was gonna be fun.


	12. Growing Closer

**Disclaimer**

Tell me what you think…

**Chapter Twelve **

"Are you really sure it was the ONLY towel there?" Max began, skepticism obvious in her tone but perhaps a bit too obvious, "Caesar's is a very expensive hotel. Somehow I doubt that **one** blue and **one** pink towel were the only ones in there. Besides I'm sure I saw more this morning," she blinked at him with eyes that would have made Bambi jealous; would've made any Disney woodland creature jealous and strangely proud at the same time.

For one amusing moment Alec allowed himself to try and gauge what cartoon character Max was most akin to. One moment only.

Realization.

"YOU! You hid the towels!!" he hissed underneath his breath with the dirtiest look he'd ever conjured. It could have made the hulk hesitate in uncertainty but of course Max took it in stride.

Pink neon once again became see through as Max removed the straw from her mouth using it instead to swirl her strawberry dakaree languidly and raised an eyebrow as she observed him. Observed the flush of annoyance upon his cheeks and the thinning of his lips as the features on his face defined themselves, "I didn't hide any towel," she stated matter of fact, in a tone that Alec paused in his next accusation, the sincerity upon her face could've have gotten her out of serial homicide from a redneck Texan jury.

The smile that swivelled onto her lips pulling the corners wide and revealing perfect white teeth however trashed that completely.

It was positively roguish and wicked, "I just didn't see the point in visiting such a great big huge hotel and not stealing any towels and since I figured when we leave here we'd be leaving in a hurry I shipped them off to Seattle with everything else."

Full bee stung lips smiled again before twining around her straw and with a hollow of her cheeks she took another sip of her cocktail.

Had Alec not been completely un-amused with her hiding-of-the-towels that simple sight would have caused a detour in blood flow but now merely stirred him subtly, "Can you see I'm wearing my _I'm-so-**not**-amused-face_?"

She burst into laughter, genuine mirth filled laughter and the sparkle of her brown eyes, warm and joyful watching **him**, directed at **him**, caused any ill-feelings he'd held against her to vanish and an ambivalent smile and a roll of his eyes brought him back to his usual relaxed and playful demeanour, "Alright, alright but do watch out because I will get you back darl'," he drawled putting on the snobbish accent they'd been hearing 24/7 around Caesar's clientele.

Fingers enclosed his glass almost pleasurably flinching at the coolness of it against his skin. Swirling the scotch watching it blur with the ice he mused to himself before taking a drink.

"So… I've been meaning to ask," Max raised an eyebrow silently signalling him to go on, "What exactly are we doing here?" there was that smile again, god how he loved it when she smiled like that, "Having fun."

His own eyebrow quirked and his lips swelled in confusion, "We're not scamming?"

Distracted Max pouted at her empty glass before his question registered and she grinned at him moving the forgotten glass aside, "Nope. It's just you and me. I mean you're probably sick of me by now but…"

"Not at all," Alec cringed at himself, _'God how lame could you get?'_

The silence strangely wasn't awkward or overbearing, it was just a pause, a hesitant lull in conversation as they both took a second to digest the statement. Alec's mouth flapped open and Max was reminded of a snapdragon. The deep scarlet of their petals just as delicate and soft as what his lips must feel against her skin, their velvety tenderness hiding the sweet nectar within that bees had to pry open to get to.

_'Snap out of it girly!' _

"I mean," searching for something to say his words fell scattered like a broken jigsaw, "I've had a really good time this past week," '_That's even worse! Think you numbskull, think!!'_ "I mean… even though you sold my car. I forgive you for that."

_'Slightly better.'_

Realising she'd never seen Alec flustered before the X5 allowed herself a quick proud-of-herself grin before she smiled warmly and took his hand in hers patting it. It took all of her to stop the laughter that threatened when he looked at it in terror as if it would detach and attack him, "I've had fun too."

Water droplets dabbled his face like tiny explorers running in rivulets down his forehead and temples till they dripped off his chin into the basin below him. Hazel eyes bored into a pair identical to his, breathing ragged and gripping the marble bench he held one deep breath before allowing it to swoosh out of his lungs.

Three things proved he was awake; one the bruise that was starting to form on his upper arm from how hard he'd pinched himself, two the clarity of his sight and the definition of detail of his reflection in the club's bathroom mirror and three… he was vibrating. Took him a millisecond to realize the phone in his pocket had caused the jolt of surprise and puzzled he reached into his jeans.

1 new message

Rolling his eyes he grinned, he'd only been gone a few minutes having excused himself to the bathroom almost as soon as those words had left her mouth having desperately needed to splash himself in the face and make some conclusions on reality and already she was checking up on him.

_Bill Gates look alike hitn on me. Very lonely, very cute & very disgustd wit th man thats old enuf 2 b my grndpa tryn 2 get in2 my pants. HELP! NOW!_

Chuckling to himself he flicked the phone closed stuffing it back into his pants and with one last glance at the mirror moved back into the club. The throbbing beat that up to a few moments ago had been muffled and distant hit him full force but though he flinched mentally adjusting his hearing he didn't miss a beat moving back towards where he'd left Max. Hazel eyes searched for her through the throng of people and the flickered gloom finally spotting her leaning against the bar.

_'He really does look like Bill Gates,'_ the blonde laughed to himself in amusement ignoring the territorial rush of adrenaline that was about to overtake him.

Max looked away trying to spot her so-called saviour hoping the deluded drunkard would get a clue and just leave her alone. It was moments like these that reminded her that sometimes being designed to be a hot revved up female could come back and bite you in the ass. Just because she was supposed to be vulnerable and needing protec…

Arrival of Saviour.

Max's inner bitching halted with the grip of Alec's hand falling onto the man's arm -that had been heading towards her shoulder- and the crushing of his tightening hold that was turning his knuckles white and the man's face red with pain. Sobering up in an instant 'Bill' met the eyes of a man that was a little less human and a little more predator, an expression of sheer surprise and terror at the burning stare passing through him.

Releasing him he stumbled back before scrambling to his feet cradling his already bruised forearm and rushing away.

Gaze wide but not alarmed she watched the primitive emotions slip away returning the Alec from before. She didn't know what to feel, so many feelings were rushing through her, anger at how he'd dealt with it, admiration of how he'd taken care of her, safe, proud, surprised, impressed. In fact the second of anger that had sparked inside had very quickly dissipated, vanished like morning dew on a hot summer's day.

"You know Max if you choose to leave the privacy of your own room n clothes like THAT I wouldn't complain on all types of men trying to get in your… skirt… well what's left of it that is," he grinned devilishly apparently shameless of his once over of her form, pausing his gaze on the expanse of skin of long golden legs. Sitting back down on his stool h watched her.

Innocently acting genuinely surprised she stood and twirled on her self inspecting her outfit, "Whatever do you mean Alec?"

Grinning indisputably he let mirth overtake him and played her game as his weariness of her nearly completely disappeared; there'd been little left anyway.

Again his eyes flicked to the floor to the black heels she wore and up her stairway to heav… legs to the plaited red mini, so short he was certain it was envious of the amount of fabric a hipster underwear possessed. Her top was long sleeved and V-necked cut low enough to tempt in dark grey cotton, hair loose framing her face, "What?"

Alec couldn't help himself, he cracked up laughing, heartily and happily as he watched his very tempting fellow thief pull off the best staged storm off he'd ever seen and dropping a few bills on their table he grabbed his coat and chased after her, curious to see where she was gonna take them next.

Finally catching up to her just outside the doors she smiled at him and laughed grabbing his hand, not letting go, "C'mon pretty boy. Let's find something more fun, I'm sick of the social scene," laughing at the thoughts visibly flickering in his irises, "You have a dirty mind but then again…"

Max had officially lost count of how many times she'd been interrupted in the last few days, whether from someone or just pure shock.

"Where the fuck is the car?"

They glanced around quickly, catching every detail in their vision; from the teenagers making out in a dark corner on the other side of the street to how many watts the streetlights were. It was gone.

Completely star struck they stared at the place where they'd left it. Silence enveloping for a split of a second but felt like a thousand years. Neither knew who'd started, in fact Max was quite sure it had been simultaneous but laughter erupted again as they almost drunkenly turned towards the hotel and began walking.

It took a while for it to die down but eventually only a smile was left as a trace of their amusement, _'I guess there's a first for everything. Even a thief can have his car stolen,'_ Alec mused to himself with infinite hilarity. Hands still coupled; their pace was languid and leisurely, nonchalant; a rhythm that wasn't common for them and both realising took their time revelling in it. Enjoying the amiable quiet between them, a rarity as well.

It wasn't born to last though.

"Tell me more," Alec spoke, perhaps surprising even himself in voicing his thought.

"About what?" Max replied confusion puzzling her, "About yourself, about being out here."

Gentle pressure of his fingers stopped the ready protest on her lips and with almost need in his eyes he silenced her, "Please."

Entranced by all these sides of him she'd never known, never had given herself the chance to discover she mutely nodded an assent forcing her eyes to look away, find refuge from the intensity of his demeanour, "I remember this one time," she began, memories coming back to her, "I'd basically just hooked up with Cindy so I was sixteen maybe seventeen. She'd found me a place to stay for a couple of weeks squatting with a girl she knew, Kendra. Which in the end happened to turn out to be the only place I ever had in Seattle; still is my apartment now."

Alec grinned at that and she smiled back clearing her throat looking away before a schoolgirl blush could sneak up on her. She hated how he could do this to her without even trying, with just a simple smirk, just being his curious smart ass self, "Anyway… when she introduced us we clicked right away and got along. I was the youngest… in fact come to think of it I seem to always be the youngest!"

The indignation and puzzlement on her face broke a laugh out of him again and he ruffled a hand through her hair messing it on purpose knowing she'd get even more piqued, "Hey hey! You wanna hear this or not?"

"Absolutely," he said smiling from ear to ear.

"Well then shush, more listening from the storytell**EE**, less distracting the story-tell**ER**."****

Holding his hands up in surrender he gestured for her to keep going, "You were saying…"

"I knew I should have gone for Dick," those few words took her as-of-late one-track mind on a non-return trip straight to the gutter. Clasping her hands onto her mouth to stop any further flow of words, "My, my Maxie. You are one very dirty transgenic lately. What's happened? The frustration finally got to you?"

Angry her irises contracted and her nose flared ready to bite back nut the only reply she could come up with in that moment was, "I am NOT sexually frustrated!" she hissed at him.

Eyes wide and disbelieving Alec nodded, "A-ha. Sure you're not. Besides I didn't say anything about sexual frustration. You did that all by yourself. But since you asked I'd be happy to unhook your panties for you."

For the first time in his life Alec didn't hold his ground, he didn't face his enemy. Alec ran for his life.


	13. Cold Showers

**Chapter Thirteen**

For the split second that it took for the vibrations caused by his vocal chords to tremble the tiny hair-like strands in Max's ears that hence transformed the information into nerve impulses to then travel to her brain and for the sentence to fall into place and make sense, the X5 just stood there. Stood and watched in slow motion; the grin upon his lips, their movement offset with his words, the moment his eyes sparked and brimmed with mischief and everything crashed and overflowed with realisation triggering apprehension.

Apprehension, ironically, was the same thing running through Max's mind. The word, to apprehend coincidentally meant two very different things that ran parallel in the two transgenic minds.

Alec; anxiety, uneasiness, trepidation.

Max; stop, capture, arrest.

Perhaps even in that order.

Alec didn't turn back, didn't wait the few milliseconds it was going to take for what he'd said to register; in fact he was all for a head start against her. At this point in time he needed all the help he could get.

His entity was focussed on one thing and one thing only, which in consequence led him to a million miniscule details to keep his mind off what she might be capable of should he fail in his quest. The fleeing transgenic concentrated on the deep rhythmic breaths that passed in and out of his lungs with practiced ease. He kept his eyes on the road in front of him, always in front, looking at his goal knowing that should his eyes wander they'd see those frightful things called obstacles. Ears were entrained on the frantically even plod of his feet and his nose tracked her hormones, evaluated the amount adrenaline and such that emanated from her keeping record of just how determined she was.

And determined she was. Max wasn't at all focussed on her own running but rather on every move the infuriating smart-ass in front of her was making, indomitable to catch him but as she thought this her mind sort of halted. What was she gonna do once she'd tackled his sorry ass to the ground? Her brow furrowed, confusion and a mental blank settling. It wasn't as if she'd been horribly offended… well for a second she'd been, then she'd gotten angry that he'd known exactly what she'd thought and that he'd hassled her about it. I mean why was he allowed to think about sex constantly but when she did it, it was called sexually frustration?

If you thought about it, it just wasn't fair. She had exactly the same right as him to be thinking about sex and all things related as much as she wanted; there was no law that said she shouldn't. So what if she'd started twisting words and sentences and fantasizing **every** minute of **every** hour of **every** day these past few days?

Max groaned in self-disbelief. It was too hot. In Seattle this wasn't a problem, the rain took care of those thoughts, at least most of them when it came to her, it was the same concept as to why the English invented cold showers. Why? To stop people masturbating that's why.

If she really thought about it for a second the answer to her question was easy; what was she gonna do once she caught him? Give him a piece of her mind.

Alec was beginning to realise that perhaps he'd gone a bit too far this time. Relentless, he had been hassling her constantly about sex from the first moment they'd met; about other things too of course, but this had been one of the more predominant. Why? Alec hadn't wanted to admit it, not even to himself but if he absolutely had to be honest, well, he was a little insulted. Of course if you took into account that back then she'd just sparked something with Logan and that she felt some sense of loyalty to the man, and you also took note of the fact that he looked like her dead brother, the one who had lost it and she'd had to kill and that for reasons, back then unknown to him, she seemed to be squeamish about anything related to sex, then really he shouldn't have been offended. But rejection isn't pleasant, no matter under what circumstances.

These few days on the road, despite their weird friendship having grown deeper, had only seen him hassle her more, though not entirely his fault. Max had left herself open so many times, and Alec was not the kind of transgenic, person, creature, whatever, to refuse an open shot, especially ones of such great entertainment.

Now, in consequence he found himself running away from a very sick of it Max and he couldn't really blame her, he'd get pissed off too if he wasn't getting any and it was constantly rubbed in his face.

There was the fountain; the million Hollywood Vegas movies fountain, they could both see it, and Alec headed for it. Later he'd ask himself why but in that moment it seemed like a good idea, maybe she'd cool off. It was worth a shot. Max saw him dart down the path that passed the closest and a smile glinted upon her lips; she was less than 10 metres behind himnow but she didn't follow, instead going up higher on the footpath. Alec barely had the time to glance around wondering where she'd gone that the X5 using the railing vaulted herself in the flying down heading straight for him.

The look on his face was priceless, a terrified hedgehog looking into oncoming traffic on the highway. Nothing he could do would stop her, there was nothing, all he could do was watch and brace himself for impact.

Max hit Alec like a speeding train, propelling both herself and her target into the air and for a brief second they were flying but the next second they were falling. The water was cold, was the only thought that registered when they splashed into the fountain. It was cold and sense flashed into Max's mind, her head was clear as the water settled around her and Alec. She was on top of him, the blond holding his body up with his hands.

A smile that Alec had never seen before watched him and her laugh did nothing to reassure him. Her hands splashed water onto his face, causing him to close his eyes. They went to his closed lids, and he thought she was wiping the water away, at first, what else could she be doing. Max laughed again quietly as she kept her hands over his eyes and moved forward, planting a kiss on his forehead. Alec flinched, unsure whether to be scared or worried. Max planted a second on the tip of his nose. Her breath tickled and froze his lips as they made contact with his wet flesh.

Alec swallowed weary.

"Here's a piece of my mind," the words registered at the same time as the her lips on his did; their softness tingling, their warmth a sensual contrast to the cold of the water, now no longer sharp, but pleasant.

Max broke away removing her hands so he could look at her, the hedgehog look was still in place, "Alec, breath."

It was almost a cue, his lungs opening immediately taking in air, she could sense his pulse hard and fast and she watched him, slightly concerned. "Alec are you okay?" as she spoke those words his eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp. Max screamed in surprise letting him go and he went underwater. Quickly realising, she grabbed him again pulling him out and dragged him to the fountain edge and out softly laying him onto the pavement.

"I can't believe you just fainted."


	14. Undressing

**Disclaimer**

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Alec y …"

The sharp ringing of her phone cut her off. And confused at first, halted wondering how the little device could have survived the dive. It rang again and snapping out of her musings she managed to pull it out of her pocket and answer the shrilling apparatus.

"Hello?"

"Max? Where in god's name are you?!"

"Cindy this isn't a good time," Max sighed putting her mobile between her shoulder and ear and shakings Alec's face gently side to side by his cheeks.

"ISN"T a GOOD time?!?"

Max was pretty sure that was what she'd just said, "You disappear overnight with only a note, you don't call, you don't even **text** Original Cindy! Dogboy don't know where you are, Logan don't know where you are, Alec is with you wherever the hell that might be…" Cindy's tone was rising with each word and Max cringed as she continued to listen, "Five tonnes of packages arrive at Terminal City along with your NEW mobile number, Original Cindy call's you AND IT ISN"T A GOOD TIME!"

"…" Max didn't reply; she wasn't exactly sure what to say.

"Listen boo, you trying to give this chica ulcers?"

"Cindy I'm sorry I haven't called, it's just things have been hectic and we just lost all track of time and…" Max began to apologise but Cindy interrupted, "Woah woah woah there girl slow down… …are you sayin' what Original Cindy thinks you sayin' girl?!"

There was a pause as Max tried to think what her friend was thinking, "Depends on what you're thinking."

"Is this a lil love trip tween you and yo b…"

"God no!" the X5 spit out. 'Well it isn't,' her mind rationalised, 'its just turning out like that,' she thought before quickly trashing that notion, "I am not sleeping with Alec."

"Then what's this trip, I know you ain't seeing no brotha o' sista of yours cos Original Cindy knows her girl."

Biting her lip Max contemplated telling Cindy, and finally lost on what to do she blurted out, "I just kissed him five minutes ago and now he's fainted."

"He fainted?" Cindy didn't say anything, just cracked up laughing, and by laughter meaning hysterical, "Oh the poor boy, Cindy ain't all that surprised now that she thinks bout it, you must have given the cat one big heart attack!"

"Cindy you're not helping," she pointed out, not quite as amused, "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Well don't kiss him again, you might send him into a coma!" she laughed again but gaining her composure she replied seriously, "Boo, this gurl dunno what you two up to but she know one thing, the boy liked it, who wouldn't with those lips o' yours? You listen and listen good, make it very clear what you want, what eva tha may be an it'll sort out. And when all this is ova, Cindy wants details."

Realising she'd put the phone down Max followed suit, putting it back in her pocket and bit her lip. She couldn't carry him back to the hotel, people would either ask lots of questions or try and sell her to the circus. She had to find a way to take him there that was inconspicuous and fast.

A sigh escaped her as she stared down at him. As one last try she slapped his face a couple of times, not hard but sharply and still nothing, He was out cold.

"Oh this is just fantastic," Max hissed exasperated looking around for help but founding none she pulled out her cell phone again, "Please be there Alden."

Now on the couch Alec looked a little more comfy, still soaking but comfy, "What did you do to the boy," Alden asked in curiosity turning to Max, a confused smile on his face.

Meeting his eyes the X5 sighed and looked away back to Alec once again, "Kissed him," she deliberately left out the flying and throwing him into the fountain part, for discretion and laying low purposes.

"So you tried to wake him up by dunking him into the fountain?"

"No, not quite. Close though," Max grinned and Alden's knowing aged smile cracked back at her as he put an arm round her shoulders, "I'll leave you two alone."

Without giving her time to say anything he was already halfway out the door but just before closing it he stopped, "Better change him out of those wet clothes. You wouldn't want him to catch a cold kitkat."

Max hated this kind of silence. Sometimes it was good, like when Alec took a bite of a slice of pizza and was enjoying it so much he wouldn't speak for a minute or two; or when Cindy gave her one of her looks smiling and she was caught out and had to tell her everything. When Jondy and her used to have staring contests and on the needle. In those moments silence was welcomed, embraced with open arms but in moments like these Max hated it. On the way to Logan's cabin with Zack the silence had close to drawn her insane, when she'd found Tinga in that tank it had etched at her, screamed at her. When Alec had put his shirt back on and gone to sleep, she'd hated that silence.

Here it was, present again, telling her that she should be doing something and her mind splitting into two arguing trying to decide.

Nothing could distract her from the task at hand, she couldn't rush off, come back later and find it done, "I'm a masochist, and there's no other explanation."

Resigning herself to what she needed to do Max sighed, huffed and stomped her feet eventually picked him up and carried him to the bed laying him softly upon it. Considering them a reasonably safe start the nervous X5 grabbed his shoes pulling them off along with his drenched socks and chucking them on the floor uncaringly. There were no safe items left. Max moved on to his shirt, trying to simply pull it off and realising pretty quickly that wasn't gonna happen and she was getting soaked in the process.

Not keen on having the clothes she'd changed into get wet too she removed her shirt feeling the need to turn her back to him despite the fact that he was unconscious. Huffing at her trepidation she ground her jaw as she stepped out of her shorts and slippers, "This is absolutely ridiculous."

Determined she walked back to her lounging friend and kneeled behind his head, pulling his body to lean against hers in consequence lifting his bust off the bed doing two things; keeping his wet body off the duvet and allowing her to pull his shirt off. Arrival of one tiny problem. Alec's head got stuck because of the wet material and the stubborn X5 that was trying to pull it off, annoyed yanked harder removing the item and delivering a cold, wet and very topless Alec onto her own bare skin.

Whether the gasp that came out of her was because of the temperature difference or the feel of skin against skin Max wasn't sure, but she definitely knew the answer she was going to give if anybody asked.

Scrambling out from beneath him she tried to explain to her brain why she couldn't beat him up for aggravating her. He wasn't doing it on purpose, 'Yeah but I bet he'd be enjoying this if he was awake.'

"God dammit Max! Head out of the gutter for christ's sake!" she hissed at herself moving to sit beside him, "And stop blaspheming or talking to yourself."

Her hands shook unbuckling his belt and she tried to keep her eyes off his chest, it was nothing she hadn't seen before, in fact Max had seen it several times, she had also liked it, wondered what it felt like to run her finger down its ridges and contours. This was hopeless. Eyes closed, she took a moment to get her wits together; Max doubted many women could keep their wits while being in bra and panties and undressing Alec. With a small groan slash whine she let her head fall and it collided with his stomach resting there for a minute.

Eyes snapped open and as predicted, encountered an area she had never expected to be quite this close to. Slowly pulling back Max sighed again.

This was one big fat pickle, to keep the language PG and closely resembling sesame street; unfortunately Max had to scold herself for her thoughts, completely defeating the purpose of her language from the beginning, "Quit it."

Unbuttoning his pants and unzipping his fly she desperately tried to pull off his wet jeans. With no success she jumped off the bed and going to the feet of the bed -and Alec's- she turned away facing the living room, grabbed the hems of his trousers and pulled with all her might. This concluded in success. Sort of. Finally coming off Max flew forward with her gained momentum into the couch holding onto his pants… and his boxers.

Her head fell into her hands making a soft chack noise. Max was very close to… something… maybe an aneurysm.

Gathering her courage though she closed her eyes, for the sake of his virtue not her sanity, and walked towards the bed. Smart enough to no feel around for the covers she headed to the side he wasn't on and found her pillow and followed it down to the edge of the duvet with her hands. Yanking on it she'd almost fully pulled it out from under him when a sudden noise alerted her to the fact that Alec had moved.

THUMP!

'This is a nightmare, wake up Maxie, wake up,' it wasn't a nightmare though but she was beginning to wish it was.

Adjusting the duvet at the feet of the bed she sighed, gathered up whatever determination she had left and walked over to him with only one eye open trying to avoid spotting anything she wasn't supposed to. So keeping her gaze on his face and fighting the urge to sneak a peek she channelled her vision blocking everything out lifted him from underneath his armpits and placing his torso on the bed and then following with his feet.

Max pulled the duvet over his body and sighed in relief.

Now, just one more thing before going to sleep, "The bed or the couch?"

He was naked. Not just naked, he meant **naked** naked. Not an ounce of clothing was on him and Alec remained immobile, too scared to open his eyes. Memories were kinda hazy, nothing was fully clear; he wasn't even sure where he was. That might have helped if he opened his eyes but he wasn't taking any chances, 'Think you dumbass think.'

Not much showed up though, a bar, bill gates? Something to do with a fountain. Alec didn't remember drinking but his head hurt. And not just hurt, it **hurt** hurt. If his explanations didn't prove something than nothing would. Alec slid a hand to the back of his head and gently touched around wincing as he came across swollen, tender flesh, "Ow…" everything was just making him further confused. And where was Max?

Good question. Alec wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know if he was naked with a possible concussion. In fact Alec wasn't so sure he wanted to know what happened last night but yawning he stretched and blinked his eyes open and sitting up. At least he was in their hotel room and there were no signs of sexual activities. You know, clothes thrown all over the place, that kinda thing.

"You're awake."

"Remember anything from last night."

"Yes… a little… no."

A/N: Believe it or not, reviews get me writing really quickly. So tell me what you thought…


	15. Wake Up Please Wake Up

**Chapter Fifteen**

Alec rubbed his eyes yawning and passed a hand behind his head in the midst of a very long stretch. The room was flooded with light and the sun shone high in the sky, making it at least 1pm, this was hardly concerning, who hadn't had a long night where you didn't remember what had happened and woke up dazed and confused the next day in the afternoon?

What was concerning was that he remembered tiny snippets that didn't fit together at all; running, bill gates, cold water; and that now, he found himself naked, in the hotel bed, Max nowhere to be seen, with Alden –Max's adopted Grandpa- putting the final touches to his breakfast table.

"Where's Max?"

"Asleep, in her old room," the old man replied, folding the napkin and laying it next to the plate, "she thought it'd be best."

Alec's brow furrowed, though he knew what he meant, it was just all the missing pieces that were confusing him, like, **how** did he get to the situation he was currently in, that was one of the big ones, "You got a robe?"

"On your right," and there it was, Alec actually felt kind of stupid, and who wouldn't with the look he was getting. Alec had no idea what a mother's exasperated stare looked like but he was suddenly certain it closely resembled the one he was getting right now. Looking closer, actually, the X5 realised exactly just where Max had perfected some of her most famous expressions.

Not one to be shy Alec threw off the duvet and stood up to pick up his robe, noting that it was the same powder blue of his towel at home, and putting it on, tying it carelessly before walking towards the set table and inspecting it pleased, "This for me?"

"Yes, Max will join you in a minute, she's getting her wake up call as we speak," the old man said softly and took a step to leave but Alec called out after him in a spur of the moment decision, stopping the hotel manager mid step and catching his attention and gaze, "Is something wrong?"

Alec stuttered, unsure exactly on why he'd stopped him, "It's just, I don't know but… Max, do you think, I mean I'm not sure you'd know but… do you think she, do you think that maybe me and her, could ever…" giving up Alec was about to tell Alden not to worry when he noticed a smile on the wrinkled face, a really amused smile nonetheless, but it was hidden quickly enough. Alden walked towards the door, not missing the sigh that escaped Alec's exasperated form, "Alec?"

He jolted, looking at him on the doorway, "If she doesn't with you, then, I don't think it'll ever happen… with anyone."

The door clicked shut.

That guy was sure one for entrances and exits.

All of a sudden it was as if his sense came back all at once, as if someone had turned the power on and his nose caught a million wonderful scents, French toast, banana, strawberries, hash browns, sausages, bacon, hot chocolate, muffins. This wasn't a breakfast, it was a buffy but Alec was hardly gonna complain. He was famished.

She was upside down. Not just upside down, upside down and disoriented and she couldn't see; the last one probably because of the fact that all her blood was in her head and her legs were numb from lack of it. Max didn't move, she wasn't going to either, not until she realised exactly in what position she was and where. Memories were jumbled and a sense of déjà vu spread over her as everything rushed back.

Curious eyes blinked sleepily and the unfamiliar surroundings were suddenly common again; Jam Pony, road trip, Alec, fountain, Las Vegas.

Max groaned thinking of the night before and rolling over she grabbed the pillow muffling her own head and trying to hide in it how could she have been so stupid? 

Wait, no one even answer that rhetorical question.

Hopefully with luck, Alec wouldn't remember anything.

"Tired?"

Max almost screamed in surprise falling onto the floor with a loud thump followed quickly by a pained moan, "Ow,"rubbing her forehead yawning she winced trying to will power back to her limbs, "Goddamn it you psycho! Don't do that!"

His laugh rumbled, "Alden says you've got 2 minutes til breakfast, he's serving it in your room so be quick," Max had in no way forgotten Sofia's son Alehandro, also 'affectionately' known as Pepito; of course she remembered him smaller with no need to shave in the morning but that didn't mean her opinion of him had changed, "Whatever, piss off messenger boy," she said, finally standing.

Alehandro laughed, holding his hands up in surrender, "Aiight chica, but I'd put something on before joining your friend or he wont be your friend for long! D'you know what I'm saying Maxie?"

Realisation that all she had on was a pair of shorts came suddenly and oh-so horribly and a perfected woman reflex took place as one arm covered her chest and her other hand went to slap him. Alehandro, however, had been raised in the hotel kitchens and rooms while the maids did the beds and cleaned the bathrooms and he could spot a good slap coming and so successfully darted back and ran out dodging the pillow thrown his way, "One day Pepito I'm gonna…"

Max growled under her breath trailing off into inaudible threats and general grumbles.

With one quick glance around for her clothes she realised they were no longer where she'd left them, they were no longer in sight. About to bellow out to the one that had just ran out of her room she halted, spotting a note on the table.

_Your robe is hung up next to the door, I sent your clothes to the laundry._

_Al_

Once read Max allowed herself a small moment to seriously ask why all her human friends were meddling, interfering, prying and annoyingly nosy creatures. Rolling her eyes, shaking her head and pumping her fist she slipped into the robe, tying it securely around her and walked out of her room. But as she closed the door behind her, her attention was caught by a very familiar figure standing in the doorway of her and Alec's room

"If she doesn't with you, then, I don't think it'll ever happen… with anyone."

_'What won't ever happen with anyone?'_ the brunette suddenly thought, _'What are those two talking about?'_

Before she had a chance to eavesdrop some more though Alden left, not seeing her and headed to the elevators, obviously going back to work. The slight doubt she was feeling at going in was suddenly trashed when her stomach spoke up letting himself be known, "Man, I'm starving."

Alec looked up catching her eyes and smiling as she opened the door and came in, spotting him and the breakfast table, and joined him sitting down in the chair opposite him, "Hey."

Nervous for some reason beyond him he greeted her back and watched as they lulled back into a silence, a very awkward silence that neither was used to. Quiet and stillness were not things they were used to in each other's company, either because they were fighting bad guys together or they were fighting against each other, either way, it was uncomfortable, neither transgenic sure on how to proceed.

Alec took the lead, "Want some hot chocolate?"

Apparently that seemed to be all it took to break the strange ice that had formed between them and smiling Max held out her cup for him and began to put things onto her plate, "I could eat a horse I'm so hungry."

"Yeah I know how you feel, I woke up and the first thing I noticed was the gargantuan hole in my stomach," Alec said grinning although he knew he'd twisted the truth, that was at least the third thing he'd realized the first had really been his state of undress, but it was a little white lie, it didn't matter.

Laughing she nodded, "It wasn't quite the first one with me. I noticed first that I was upside down with the blood rushing to my head and then secondly that Pepito was in my room and I was unknowingly giving him a show," she replied, groaning once again at the very recent memory, "That one is definitely gonna come back and bite me in the ass."

With all his will Alec really wanted to smile and shake his head and continue the light hearted conversation they were having, but his focus with those few words had been shifted to …other things… and he was busy mentally threatening 'mr. happy' –to put it in G rating- in his robe, so his smile and shake of his head came out more as a flinch and tightening of his jaw.

"You ok Alec?" Max said, concern slightly etched onto her face as she bit into a hash brown.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine, my head just hurts," he managed to reply.

"What did you do to it?" Max asked, not realizing in what direction their conversation was heading, perhaps because too much blood was directed to her stomach as she dug into the much needed sustenance, "I was actually going to ask you that question," Alec said, "My memories of last night are still a bit jumbled.

Those words took her directly to last night and her hand wavered as she poured herself more hot chocolate, spilling her cup that went directly for Alec. Cat like reflexes threw him back to avoid burns and he rolled in a backward roly-poly done too quick to realize his robe was caught beneath the chair and his weight. All he could do was finish the reflex back to a standing position, his eyes closed praying that he would wake up and this wasn't real.

'Oh god. Please let me wake up, please, please, please…' 

Alec wanted to punch his own daylights out; there he stood void of any injuries, his robe wrapped around his chair with him standing naked, boner and all from his thoughts in their conversation mere moments ago with Max most likely staring at him, still holding onto the jug.

Max was staring, _'Oh my god.'_


	16. Checklist Please

**Disclaimer.**

Now I know Alec would not be ashamed of his body, we all know this, but in the particular situation he did find himself last chapter, well things were slightly different. But don't worry he'll soon turn things around. Sorry it took so long.. but I was seriously having troubles figuring out what they would do and what I would have done personally just wasn't right either… it's still a bit early for that. ;)

**Chapter Sixteen**

If Max was to look up, she would have seen Alec's face clinched, eyes forcibly shut, with the world's most uncomfortable looking squirm on is brow. She might have even observed the inaudible mumble that only presented in the miniscule movement of his lips as he prayed for death or something similar. Something to take him away from that moment. She didn't see all that.

Why?

Because she was concentrated lower. To give her some credit it was at her eye level but then again she could have averted her eyes with no problem. Perhaps she stared because that's how she'd frozen and she hadn't been able to wake herself up yet. Maybe she was still staring because of the gigantic surprise she'd gone through. And still perchance, it was because she wanted to and wasn't particularly certain on what else to do.

After all, no one had ever accidentally exposed himself to her.

What does one do in that situation?

As it turned out she didn't have to answer her own question; because, well… Alec did it for her. What does one do when he is standing in all his glory in front of perhaps his best friend who one hassles day in and day out about sex, all things relating to sex and especially being naked?

One panics.

Eyes wide shut, clinched together so tight it hurt, Alec's hands flew to the main source of his embarrassment covering it as best as he could while, thanks to his photographic memory ran for it with no need to see going straight for the living room and slamming the sliding doors behind him.

_'Shit, shit, shit, shit, holy FUCKING shit!'_

Alec's brain was momentarily one worded.

Panicking, achieved absolutely nothing, he knew this like every single other soldier manticore ever produced. The X5 had never panicked much in his 20 odd years. Of course there had been times, some serious, some comical, but he'd almost always been able to keep his cool and remain calm and collected. That was how you solved a problem, because when one panics, the brain shuts down non-vital parts of the brain and basically only leaves on, the run and hide part.

He had panicked, and because of this he was now stuck, naked, in the living room with all his clothes in the wardrobe. To get to the wardrobe he'd have to go back into the dining, past Max, into the bedroom and into the wardrobe.

_'Shit!'_

This really wasn't good.

How was he supposed to figure out what to do when Max still hadn't moved and all he could think about was what had just happened? His fucking brain was on loop!

_'Alec my man, just breathe, breath and think you dumbass!'_

Meanwhile Max in the next room was still staring in the same spot he'd been, still desperately trying to jumpstart her neurons. Her sparkplugs were obviously not firing and she was beginning to think maybe they'd taken in too much water and needed to dry out a bit.

Alec.

Birthday suit…

Alec…

Alec was…

Okay trying again.

Alec, well Alec… Alec…

This was hopeless.

Naked; Alec was naked.

Aha! Success! Thought number one.

Unfortunately that led to all the thoughts that had gotten stuck at the sector checkpoints in her brain rushing through and causing a riot, thereby causing more confusion and chaos and bringing her back to square one.

Alec had stood naked. Naked in front of her. Alec had stood aroused and naked in front of her.

At this rate, America would recover from the pulse before she finally managed to acknowledge what had taken place. And if there was such a thing, Armageddon would come before she managed to do something.

Max decided, that this was not a situation to dwell on and over analyse; in a situation like this, one needs to act impulsively. Watching her through the glass pane on the door Alec cursed himself for the hundredth time as she got up and not even casting a glance his way walked away into their bedroom and disappeared from his view, _'Way to go, really, a clown couldn't have done it better!'_ he berated.

Waiting he counted to ten to see if she'd come back, but when she didn't the mortified X5 tentatively slid the partition a few of inches open, just enough for him to fit his head through and take a better look. She'd gone. Alec didn't know what she was doing as long as she kept at it for another 30 seconds, enough time for him to run and get his robe. Off he went but luck, as it happened, that day was not on his side, at least not whole heartedly. Just as his fingers reached for the blue garment he heard her footsteps coming back and desperate grabbed the first thing off the table.

Had he tried to disentangle the robe he would have mostly likely failed and embarrassed himself further.

Fortunately his soldier was no longer at attention, hadn't been since two seconds after the… awkward moment… those few minutes ago.

Now however he found himself, once again in front of Max, one of the silver domes that had covered breakfast, covering something different than it probably ever had while she once again stared at him. Alec's eyes were open this time so he could see her, had seen her hesitate spotting him but continue regaining her wits till she stood in front of him, holding something for him to take.

At first it didn't register, he was in suspense. For what he didn't know but for something.

"Here."

That one word was enough to make him jump, fortunately though he didn't drop his only cover. She was holding out clothes for him, and she wasn't saying a word to hassle him. Alec wasn't sure whether to be grateful or frightened.

Uncertain he took the bundle and saw her turn around giving him enough space but without leaving and in understanding Alec put the saviour of whatever was left of his dignity down and began to dress.

"You know, yesterday I worked really hard to keep your virtue intact and today you decide to give me a full show," Max began, she had to keep the attention on him because if it drifted to her it would all blow up in her face.

Ok so maybe she was going to give him a bit of a hard time.

"I assure you that it wasn't my intention," he said, not much humour in his voice.

Max smiled knowing that though he couldn't see her he'd know anyway, "The reason you woke up naked is because yesterday when you fell in the fountain and hit your head you fainted and I had to call Alden to help me get you back here. Al only stuck around long enough to say that I better take you out of your wet clothes and left. By the way, you're really annoying when unconscious."

Alec smirked pulling the shirt on and reaching for his trousers. His boxers were amazingly comfy and having a quick gander at the label he read "100 Cotton" and realised she must have bought them for him the other day on their shopping trip.

"I apologise."

His wit was back, "Anyway, your pants were amazingly hard to remove and you boxers came off as well. You can relax, nothing happened, that you can't remember."

_'Filthy little liar,'_ Max thought and couldn't stop herself from the twinge of disappointment.

Relief was mixed with regret and Alec quickly repressed his thoughts. Nothing was supposed to happen; the key word here was PRETENDING to be together. He'd tried curbing his attraction to her but nothing worked, the only thing that helped him relax was by taking it out on her, pissing her off with all his innuendos and jokes.

"I fell into the fountain?" he asked, "Are you sure I fell?"

"Yes, why? Don't you trust me?"

Alec grinned suspiciously as he buttoned his shorts and fastened the leather belt. That had been a little too defensive.

"Of course."

Max whooshed a giant breath of reprieve, _'He doesn't remember.'_

"Let's just forget about this, tomorrow night we hit this place and never look back and I need you to fill, I mean I need to fill you in on the dick knack, uh knick knack of details I haven't boned, I mean told you about," Max stuttered Freudian slip upon Freudian slip.

Thank god she wasn't looking at him or this would be worse.

"It's safe to turn around," he answered and Max couldn't tell his tone.

Now her brain decides to remember and acknowledge what happened. Now of all times.

"Hood, uh good! Good I mean!" smiling weakly she tried to avoid his gaze, "I'll get dressed, won't take schlong, gong! I mean it was long! Won't take a minute!" almost screaming the last one Max made a beeline for the wardrobe. If she didn't get her act together this would be a long day and a longer trip back.

He was embarrassed not you, and let's try to keep it that way.

Alec grinned devilishly. Yes it had been an incredibly embarrassing moment, not because she saw him naked, he wouldn't have given a toss about that, but because even though she probably hadn't realised –Alec recognized now- he'd flaunted exactly how she affected him. Max had probably taken it as a morning hard on. His own embarrassment was gone, sure he didn't want it brought up to Cindy or Mole or god forbid Joshua but he could live with it.

The way she was reacting now, was a whole lot more interesting. Checklist please.

Sexually frustrated? Yes.

Thought of him as a brother? No.

Adopted Granpa's blessing? Check.

First physical contact established? Most likely. Alec still wasn't totally clear on what had been real and what had been dream but from the way she'd reacted something had happened.

Oozing sex appeal? Check.

Couldn't stop talking about his package? Check.


	17. Out With It

**Chapter Seventeen** – Out With It

"Out with it."

"Out with it?" Max asked, distracted on the lawn chair on their balcony, while typing up paperwork for Terminal City. She was almost becoming the freak show leader and as scary as that was, to Alec it was a comforting thought. He knew that when the time came she'd need someone at her side, someone with further training and recognised by everyone at Manticore. For most it was still hard to trust an 09er. Annoyingly enough transgenics seemed to be keen on him taking that place.

It was mostly strategy and battle situations training that she missed out on; by age eight every transgenic was a black belt in a dozen martial arts and had completed almost all hand to hand combat and personal discipline. It was experience in leading a transgenic army that she lacked, how her kind had grown up. No one blamed her for this deficiency, she hadn't been there.

All the same Alec was sure she would have flunked strategy, Max just went in head first and as exciting and amusing sometimes as that was, Manticore wasn't big on that kind of thing.

"Yes."

"Out with what exactly?"

"Everything you haven't been telling me."

Max's fingers stopped, they hovered over the keyboard and a beat later closed the laptop and put it down. She waited; his words could mean anything. She wasn't sure what he wanted, what answers he was looking for, so she waited.

She wasn't saying anything, Alec mused, just staring at him. Unsure if that was a good sign or not he took his chances, "When are we going back to Seattle?"

"Two days."

She was letting him ask the questions, "When are we pulling the robbery?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Are we taking everything?"

"No."

"Whose credit card was charged when we went shopping?" Max smiled at that one knowing her answer would irk and amuse him at the same time, "Some bad guy."

"Why?"

"Retail therapy."

"Figures," Alec scoffed.

"Wait," brows furrowing he paused, "If we didn't pay for your shopping, then," Alec looked at Max, "five-hundred-and-ten-thousand plus sixty-seven grand is five-hundred-and-seventy-seven grand," a confused broad grin was on his face, "we're fourteen k over."

Alec paused smirking slightly. He'd figured that she wouldn't steal absolutely everything for obvious and not so obvious reasons, the main one; there was no way they could carry out that much money. What he hadn't realised what that they didn't need to steal any money off him, and yet here they were, planning to break into the vault still. The blonde was going to let her have her mystery on that for now, the way he figured it she wouldn't tell him much more. Why? Because for whatever she had cooked up he obviously had to be in the dark for the majority of it.

Alec was curious, but he could handle waiting another 24 hours.

He paused, for a second everything was quiet, only a second, "So what are you going to take from him that he's never going to get back?" Alec had never pondered the fact that there was something else, other than money, which she could use for her revenge; the loot had been the logical conclusion. Alec's eyes brimmed with realisation, and it had been exactly what she'd wanted him to think.

"That, grasshopper, is the million dollar question, isn't it?"

Grinning she grabbed the computer again and went back to whatever she had been doing leaving Alec in disbelieving limbo. His mouth was partly open and he watched her, waiting, refusing to believe she was leaving it at that. A sound that could have been a fraction of a syllable escaped his lips recapturing her attention, "What?"

"Oh you can't be serious?" he reprimanded.

"Of what?"

Alec laughed neurotically sarcastic, "Tell me!"

"What?"

"Out with it! I want to know," he continued.

"Out with what!"

Glaring, Alec used his fingers to gesture, "What do you think? I want 'the million dollar answer' and stop playing stupid."

Max sighed, "I am not playing around Alec I'm working."

"What are you working on then?" This was ridiculous. He sounded like an eight year old, and the sad thing was that he realised this. His theory was, even eight year olds were right sometimes.

The look he received could perhaps only have been described as 'the OC'. Cindy had certain looks that had become a trademark and in all honesty were very efficient, this one was the one that was supposed to make the other person realise something obvious.

Alec miffed, "I don't care if I'm being a child."

"I'm organising a meeting with Tommy Blade."

After dressing herself and having composed her speech Max had joined Alec at the schematics and blueprints of the Casino and Hotel. They'd studied them for several minutes, running through all the possible ways it could go sideways and ways to recover. They'd examined the security, identification mechanics and the location of every camera, and in consequence, all the blind spots.

Now Alec knew how they would break in, he just didn't know the diversions, the times, the roles or even more importantly for what secondary purpose. Sure their main goal was to get lots of money, but Max had a second agenda. The X5 wasn't so sure he wanted to be in the dark about that.

Her last answer, he was sure, was a big clue.

And then it clicked.

"What!" Alec almost shrieked, recognising this however, he cleared his throat before speaking again, "Tommy Blade?"

"Yes."

"As in the most notorious mafia boss in America?"

"Yes."

Alec's voice rose with every question.

"As in the most wanted father of organised criminality?"

"YES."

"The guy on top of Logan's list of bad guys who he's been desperately trying to catch since he started? In fact the guy on top of the FBI, CIA and national guard's list of bad guys!"

"Yes Alec!"

"YOU WANT TO MEET WITH HIM!"

"Yes Goddamit!"

"Are you serious?" he whispered quietly leaning closer.

Sending a pointed look his way Max sighed, "Yes I'm serious."

"Kudos."

The pair fell in silence. Max could not have looked more confused or perturbed. She just hadn't been expecting that answer at all. I mean, kudos? And that was exactly what she repeated, "Kudos?"

Grinning Alec bit his lip lightly, unwittingly drawing her attention. He was close, too close if someone asked her. How was she supposed to pay attention when all she could concentrate on was the fact that in that moment he lacked complete respect for personal boundaries? He was still sitting on the other chair but right on the edge of it, his torso hanging forward stretching as close as possible. His face couldn't have been further than a foot away and Alec was looking at her. Right in the eyes, unwavering.

"Can I come?"

"Absolutely not."

Later On…

Quiet was not a word Alec would ever use to describe himself when in company of friends. Especially when that company was Max. He often lacked control over his vocal chords; in fact it was a bit like word vomit. Max, on the other hand was different. She just wasn't chatty, most things you had to drag out of her at risk of bodily harm and death threats, well for him anyway, for Cindy it simply just took time. The only time she spoke more than two sentences in a row to him was if she was reprimanding him or if she was ranting.

Today though, it went beyond quiet. Max had not said a word on the elevator, or through the lobby. Not a word to him. Standing in silence Alec tapped his foot waiting. Exactly for what he wasn't entirely sure but Max was waiting so he did too. His fireball companion was already fuming and he was not going to risk more than he already had in convincing her to bring him along. He was almost glad she was pissed, he'd almost started to worry about her she'd been so pleasant. By her standards anyway.

Tackling him into a fountain didn't really count. What bothered him was that was where his memory stopped. He'd pieced everything back together, well at least he thought. They'd gone to a club, he remembered that, but everything was a little hazy, he couldn't remember when they'd left. And then it jumped to her tackling him. That meant either of two things; he'd pissed her off or she was saving him from gunfire.

Obviously he'd pissed her off.

"Shit."

"Charming language," Max mocked knowing she was being hypocritical.

Alec didn't even take notice instead turning to her and grabbing her around the shoulders, "The car is gone!"

Unable to save herself a little smirk she nodded as his face crumbled, "I just remembered, we got out of that club and it was gone." Max was certain he'd be less upset if someone had told him Christmas was cancelled, "I've lost two cars in 3 days. This can't be happening."

"Relax Romeo," she reassured the panicky X5, "We've got new wheels."

As if on cue the Valet pulled up in front of them. As Alec looked momentarily distracted Max held out her hand, "Pepito… keys, now."

"Can't I take her for a spin first?" Max was conscious of Alec somewhere in the background making ooh ahh noises but she didn't take her eyes off of Alehandro, "You've already gone for a spin, it doesn't take fifteen minutes to get a car. So hand em over Pepi."

Dramatically sighing Pepito dropped them into her waiting hand, "Ok, ok but just cos it's you."

"It's cos you know I can kick your ass," Max corrected getting into the car, noticing Alec was already buckled in with a gigantic smile. A raise of the eyebrow was her only reaction. Starting the ignition she revved the engine a couple of times and took off. Left on the sidewalk Alehandro dug his hands in his pockets and kicked an imaginary pebble, "Yeah well me and you **both** know you're not your average girl."

Max tried to ignore Alec's still beaming smile. Not to mention that fact that he was looking at her with that smile which meant she had made him happy which was very wrong in the Max code of treating Alec. There was absolutely nothing about making him happy. She was miserable so he had to be miserable. As soon as she thought that her mind had an unconscious spasm and she froze, well not really, but she did put on the breaks really hard. The car being what it was stopped almost instantaneously achieving two things, stalling and almost giving both X5's whiplash.

Alec opened his squinting eyes and looked towards her. Max's mouth was partly ajar, eyes wider than usual.

"Max?"

Snapping out of it Max stole a glance at him and looking quickly away, turned the car on put it in first and took off again. Without a word. Her silent wishes for him to drop it were irrational and it was confirmed when Alec asked, "What the hell was that?"

"Nothing I saw a squirrel."

"In Las Vegas?" his disbelief was evident however it was tinged with curiosity and amusement, "If you can't drive a stick I can drive."

"Alec I can drive a stick."

"Ok."

Alec tapped his fingers on his legs to a beat in his head, more to fill the sudden silence, no longer comfortable, which pervaded the car between them. It proved to be more infuriatingly impossible to quench his curiosity than either of them had expected and unable to contain his inquisitiveness Alec spoke up again, "Honestly what the hell happened? You looked like you'd had an aneurysm or seen divine light or a ghost or whatever!"

Max simmered at his rather on spot description of what she'd felt like. She needed a little time without him to figure this out, to figure everything out. To think about all that had happened in the last two weeks and especially on this trip. Perhaps she had to ponder her whole life in general. Either way she needed time. Something that right now she didn't have.

She was driving to meet Tommy Blade, Alec beside her and god knows exactly how he'd managed to convince her, she wasn't too sure herself. Not to mention they were on a tight schedule. They'd bummed around too much. Breaking into a casino vault was a little harder than your average B&E.

"Something like that," she whispered, turning to look at him for a moment and see the confusion furrow his brow.


	18. Thickening Plot Part One

**Chapter Eighteen – Thickening Plot**

"Phone for you boss."

Tommy Blade. Villain, mobster, vindictive, ruthless, implacable, sharp; he was a man of many talents, of many qualities. Forgetful was not one of them. He hadn't forgotten a single face he'd killed or worked with. He didn't forget when someone tried to screw him over or when someone was generous. Tommy Blade most certainly hadn't forgotten their arrangement.

So when Dominic entered the office he wasn't wondering who was on the phone.

"Yeah?" he spoke in the receiver.

Dominic could hear the other person speak, as his boss was silent, quietly listening. At Tommy's look he nodded and watched him refer, "The car's here. Perfect condition." From Tommy's nod Dominic assumed the reply had been positive and allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief. Everything had gone their way… in a way.

The car had been stolen and that had been their cue to organise the meeting with the thieves and retrieve it. The thieves that had been hired to steal it however as it turned out hadn't turned out to be as reliable as once thought. Yes the dumbasses had stolen the car, but they'd also managed to get it stolen off them. Things had gone a little sour for a moment but still without Tommy knowing any of this he'd tracked the automobile down and got it back. He'd picked the short straw, fucking stupid Scarfie. Now he had to tell the boss.

"You're coming here?" Tommy continued, Dominic watching him smile. The boss loved it when he came to visit, "Yeah."

This was good. If the boss was happy, maybe he wouldn't get too pissed off. He had to be the only person in the world who knew when Tommy Blade was happy. The smile had given him away this time but often there was no facial change whatsoever.

"The key?" Dominic cringed.

The little room was silent save for the whooshing sound of the fan, "Yeah of course. Still got it," the boss looked like someone had his balls in a vice and Dom realised his own were next, "Yeah, I'll make the arrangements. No problem."

The phone clicked shut. Dominic watched the sweat on Tommy Blade's brow, and the frustrated sigh escape, "You okay boss?"

Thump! His fist hit the desk without warning and the wood creaked crying. "We got to get that key back, you got me Dom?î his voice was quiet, he didn't yell. The car could wait til later. Dom wouldn't tell the boss now.

"Yes boss," he answered, "they're on their way now."

"They?"

Dominic was not going to take any more bullshit. Next time Scarfie could be the herald. Dom knew the phrase don't kill the messenger and he'd seen enough television and learnt enough history to know that that just wasn't the way it went. The messenger would die, brutally. Blood, guts the whole shebang. He'd lost count how many he'd witnessed the termination of. Certain things happened when you worked for the biggest and oldest Mafia family.

"Yes boss."

Tommy growled, "He better not be muscle."

Alec had been quietly sitting in the passenger seat for the drive, silently thinking that he'd been doing a lot of sitting and Max had been doing a lot of driving. He'd been contemplating the entire trip, running all that had happened through his mind. From the very beginning till some 10 minutes ago when Max had experienced some sort of divine light, epiphany, an imaginary squirrel or …well something.

And he had made a list, a short summary of the trip so far.

First and foremost Max had come up with the idea. It was entirely her doing and her attitude, though already mildly different had had a radical -not 180 but definitely close- change of direction. At whichever angle she'd altered to she was headed straight off course. This assuming that the road she'd been on before was the right one. Alec didn't want to branch off too much in his thought experiments.

Then she'd been okay with him travelling in a very conspicuous car. It wasn't very often one saw an expensive car, much less a Ferrari. Logan once had been wealthy and he'd still driven a piece of shit, though that might have been more because of his poor taste in motor vehicles than anything else. Of course what Max didn't know was that he hadn't actually stolen it but rented it under a false name and false credit card.

Slightly irrelevant but curiously odd was the amount of time Max was sleeping.

They'd fought over sweet and sour.

They'd stolen the painting AND he'd had to say Max was the best. That was still slightly eating at him; she wasn't supposed to know he thought highly of her. Max was supposed to think he loved to piss her off and be the eternal spine in her side. If he could pick places though Alec wasn't sure he'd pick her side as the preferred place to embed himself into. He just couldn't help getting sidetracked.

After driving each other insane and played a game of truth or dare which Alec had seen going differently in his mind, MAX had FORGIVEN him. That was so far the weirdest thing.

AND THEN: robbed a banker, wrestled, chatted… normally, accidentally spooned, sold a rental car (he was still cracking up about that one) and stolen another car.

Wrestled some more and in his attempts to get her into the spa bath, at some point as she held onto the balcony railing he'd 'broken' her bra.

They'd gone shopping.

Max had cut her hair.

Wrestled. àThey sure where doing a lot of that.

He'd met Gareth and found out about Gareth.

Went to a fancy dinner and stayed all of twenty minutes.

Stole the building blue prints.

Max had developed a dirty mind and then proceeded to head butt him.

Went for a swim.

The list just went on and on and on. So many things had happened that he didn't even know how to pick his favourite, not to mention place all events together and build the puzzle he'd been given. Alec remembered once seeing a jigsaw in a store where the image on the box was not the one you were supposed to construct. Instead you had to piece together what the people on the box were looking at.

If that could even be considered an analogy, it was sort of how he felt. He was desperately trying to piece together a Max, a situation with Max that he had never seen or imagined. Well… that was a lie; Alec was sure he'd imagined pretty much every single possible situation with Max, even weird ones one wouldn't normally think about. He must be the only person on the planet who had pictured Max as one of the power rangers.

It's just... she would totally kick that lobster thing's ass. Even without the robot.

Anyway… he was trying to make a picture, which he didn't know what it looked like. Not knowing what to expect either, certainly didn't help the situation. He'd thought you couldn't get much more obvious than Max. What to most people seemed completely inscrutable to him were easy pickings. And then some of his assumptions had been proven wrong. Like the father of modern philosophy Descartes, he'd been forced, in response, to have to doubt his assumptions on everything else. And if you doubt everything, what the hell can you be certain of? Possibly uncertainty. If you can't be certain of anything you can be certain that you will be uncertain of all.

That's where he'd started confusing himself and running off on a tangent. Alec had never denied the fact he thought Max was do-able; having used those exact words he'd even achieved a slap from Original Cindy. She was more than do-able anyway, and to use a more genteel language, Max was the best catch around. Dark, beautiful, not to mention fiery and when she wanted to, enough personality to go around.

Alec was not in denial. He could handle knowing he was attracted to her. 'Face it,' he thought, 'things were just so much easier when she acted like she wanted to pulverise you every second moment.'

Really, what was up with the nice stuff? Was leaving Seattle really lifting a burden off her? And what was causing the burden? It obviously wasn't him and even that had come as a surprise. So what was it? Joshua? Logan? Thousands of mutants on the loose? The Virus? Normal?

The only answer he ever reached was that he was sick of bloody guessing. Alec wanted the truth and he didn't care if that was being demanding.

With that last determined thought he turned to Max and found her looking at him. They must have arrived, but Alec couldn't be sure how long ago the car had stopped moving. A nervous smile appeared on his lips and he shrugged, but the other X5 barely registered it, "Distracted Alec?"

The blonde moved his head side to side and rolling his shoulders worked out the kinks in his muscles, "I'd say thoughtful."

Spying a smile on her lips Alec allowed one for himself; his eyes without his consent snuck a quick once over. Alec had forgotten what she was wearing –very business, very tight, very sexy- making every part of him stir just like he knew every other man in the room would. That wasn't good, he needed to focus, one did not go into a meeting with Tommy Blade thinking anything except business and how happy one was to be alive. It was detrimental to one's health.

"Alec?"

"Hmm?"

Eyes locked and she tilted her head slightly, "I don't want you to get attached to this car, it may be gone quicker than you thought," she said hesitantly. "This is Gareth's car, I borrowed it I guess you could say, to sweeten the deal between me and Tommy."

Sighing dramatically Alec conjured up a few tears, "It's okay Max, you don't have to explain…" he pretended to be distraught and as amusing as it was Max found it unnerving how credible he was.

"Stop it you ass!"

A full beam smile caught her like a hedgehog on the highway and the glint that formed in his sparkling irises reflexively darkened her own. Alec was about to say something injurious to his wellbeing but for his sake Max bet him to it, "Don't even think about commenting! Inside, you're quiet, understand? Silent, in fact act the mute, pretend you don't know how to speak. Okay?"

An impish grin remained adorning his mouth and he gave her a solemn nod provoking an exasperated groan. Starting the car Max drove it up to the gates of an establishment and waited as they noiselessly swallowed in the car.


End file.
